MLAs re-elected multiple times, but old problems persist in Rajajinagar and Mahalakshmi Layout

Given that the present Rajajinagar and Mahalakshmi Layout Assembly constituencies were together as one constituency till 2008, the problems faced by the residents across the two segments are also similar: a shortage of drinking water, flooding of low-lying areas and clogged drainage pipes. Both constituencies suffer from traffic bottlenecks and need better infrastructure.

Given that the present Rajajinagar and Mahalakshmi Layout Assembly constituencies were together as one constituency till 2008, the problems faced by the residents across the two segments are also similar: a shortage of drinking water, flooding of low-lying areas and clogged drainage pipes. Both constituencies suffer from traffic bottlenecks and need better infrastructure.

However, both constituencies have re-elected their MLAs multiple times — S. Suresh Kumar five times and K. Gopalaiah thrice. In Mahalakshmi Layout, even when the two-time JDS MLA Mr. Gopalaiah defected to the BJP under “Operation Kamala”, he was re-elected in a bypoll in 2019 with the largest margin he has won by. MLAs have got re-elected, but problems persist.

Both constituencies have densely populated lower income demography dominated pockets; for instance, Marappanapalya, Bhuvaneshwariagar in Mahalakshmi Layout and Jedarahalli, Prakash Nagar in Rajajinagar have crumbling civic infrastructure. “These areas are so densely populated that in a single 30x40 site, they build two buildings of four storeys each that usually houses over 40 people,” said former mayor and Congress leader G. Padmavathi.

This has strained the civic infrastructure in these areas. Most of these areas have old sewage pipelines which have a very low diameter, and because of the added load in recent years, they often clog.

“Every time a drainage pipe clogs, it leads to a lot of smell and has several implications for health. BWSSB doesn’t have the personnel. They provide the vehicle, and we need to employ private people to unclog these sewage pipes spending anywhere in the range of ₹1,500 - ₹2,000. We need these pipes to be replaced,” said Kamalakar, a resident of Gautamnagar, Rajajinagar.

Several pockets of Mahalakshmi Layout also report the same problem. These densely populated pockets also suffer from drinking water shortage and are forced to also rely on borewells and tankers. However, the groundwater levels have depleted, and borewells are finding water only close to a 1,000 feet.

These pockets are also some of the low-lying areas with extensive encroachments on storm-water drains and end up being flooded during rains. Several parts of Mahalakshmi Layout flooded in 2022. It was so severe that a four-storey building had to be brought down after its foundation flooded with rainwater started collapsing.