Living near Ulsoor lake, you would think , would be a pleasant experience. But blocked drains, heaps of garbage and flies and mosquitoes make the lives of people miserable on Osborne Road 1st cross and Annaswamy Mudaliar street near the lake. The BBMP doesn’t seem to care about the health hazard although dengue has returned with a vengeance, claiming at least seven lives so far in the city.
The appalling condition of Osborne road 1st cross and Annaswamy Mudaliar Street junction seems to have escaped its notice although it is just a stone's throw away from its office in Ulsoor. “The garbage is not cleared for two or three days. Although we are living near the picturesque Ulsoor lake, the road is an eyesore because of the piles of garbage, which can give rise to many diseases,” complains Ms Jaya Mani, who runs a design store nearby.
With plastic and other waste dumped into the storm water drain, the water from it often overflows on to the road and into the lake too, polluting it, she says, adding, "I have been living here for the last decade and the situation has drastically worsened. The Ulsoor area which was once clean , is now dirty because of the garbage and blocked drains."
Adding to the people's troubles, the transformer at the corner of Osborne 1st cross and Annaswamy Mudaliar Road stands precariously with the barricade around it damaged and garbage piled up around it.
Fed up with the mosquitoes and flies filling their homes and garbage constantly under their feet, the people here have made many complaints to the authorities, but no one seems to be listening. “When we go to lodge a complaint against the unhygienic conditions we are made to run from pillar to post. Sometimes the garbage is cleared when we complain but the next day its back on the streets,” rues Ms Mani.