While some voters are happy with the development work initiated by the MLA, there are those who say their grievances have not been addressed.
It is one of the city localities named after a Nobel winner, but CV Raman Nagar will not win a Nobel for environmental sanitation, plagued as it is by the stench from a open stormwater drain, garbage strewn everywhere and a one-time lake that has now transmogrified into a waste dump.
One of the most preferred residential localities in Bangalore, Raman Nagar was born in the 80s when Rajiv Gandhi, inaugurated the DRDO complex near Kaggadaspura and christened it after renowned physicist CV Raman whose work on photons got him the Nobel. The hep image of CV Raman Nagar was cashed in by the not-so-fashionable residential areas such as Byrasandra, Bhuvaneshwari Nagar and Varsave Layout began and soon the entire area came to be known as CV Raman Nagar. But the core area consists only of the DRDO township and Kaggadaspura.
Till a decade ago, Raman Nagar was known for public sector establishments such as DRDO, ADA and BEML and a private tech park - Bagmane. Most of the residents are public sector employees from other states. Kannada speakers were confined to traditional areas such as Kaggadasapura, Byrasandra and GM Palya and Malleshpalya. Nagawarapalya and Kaggadasapura hosted the Telugu speakers.
There was a time when there was a huge vacant belt of agricultural land between Kaggadasapura and Malleshpalya. With the real estate boom peaking, the area soon sprouted thousands of apartments. Two decades ago, the rate of land was around Rs 500-600 per sqft. Now, the price has shot up to Rs 3,800-4,000. ‘
Older residents recall of times when the water in the three lakes in and around Kaggadasapura was potable and how it irrigated lands in the area. The lakes are now close to death, becoming dumping yards for construction debris and garbage.
A sign of the rapid development that the area has witnessed is the fate of theChetan theatre at Benniganahalli, once famous for screening Kannada and Telugu films. Some time ago, the theatre was demolished to make way for a mall. The Kaggadasapura main road, once a narrow, uneven track, is now a bustling (still narrow) road with many eateries and bakeries.
The CV Raman Nagar assembly constituency came into existence during the 2008 delimitation. Earlier, part of it was with Varthur and some with Bharathinagar assembly constituencies. The constituency is reserved for SC candidates. It has 2,40,000 voters, against 2.19 lakh in 2008. The assembly segment has seven BBMP wards - HAL Airport, Jeevanbimanagar, Hoysalanagar, CV Raman Nagar, Benniganahalli, Sarvagnanagar and Konena Agrahara - all held by the BJP.
S Raghu, who began his career as a BMP corporator from CV Raman Nagar ward and later became MLA from Shanthinagar, contested and won from this constituency in 2008. He promises to revive the Kaggadasapura Lake and get government funds for constructing a hospital for diabetics.
The main grouse of the residents is about the plight of the Kaggadasapura Lake that ha turned into a debris dumpyard and is ripe for encroachment. The delay in completing the widening of the busy Suranjan Das Road is another grouse.
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