Twin towns of Bangalore show faces of contrast

Cox Town and Frazer Town are twins. They are posh and dazzling on one side and shabby on the other.  Residents say many areas  remained neglected by civic agencies.

The area has slipped from the 11th position last year to 19th in the 28 best localities surveyed by DNA-AZ 2010. Residents are least surprised by the slide.

“This locality has problems aplenty such as poor sanitation, broken sewage and drinking water shortage,” says NS Ravi, a social activist of the area.

“We don’t even have a playground for children. The BBMP lent the public grounds to private educational institutions which keep the facilities for themselves. They may differ in view but this is the fact,” says he.

Anand Jain, a social worker in Frazer Town, is upset that local MLA B Prasanna Kumar has not bothered about his area. “The MLA has not been available since elections. Sanitation is poor as there is no one to clear garbage regularly. ‘Chaiwalas’ and eateries occupy the footpaths.

Though there are hotels, shops and super markets here, things are not orderly. But the place is relatively safe,” says he.

Manjunath, a shopkeeper of Frazer Town, counters Jain’s view about safety. “Overcrowding and consequent noise and air pollution are the bane of Cox Town. I would say it is only 60% safe because several bars in the area attract wayward elements. For women, it is not safe to travel at night in this area,” says he.

Deepak Dixon, a student living in Frazer Town, slams BBMP and local leaders for the mess on the roads. “Crowds and traffic have made life difficult here. Look at Mosque Road, for instance. Some 10 hotels have come up there. They guzzle water and throw dirty water  on the road. Pedestrians can’t walk along the stretch without cupping their nose,” says he.

Hermon Lobo, an educationist and resident of Frazer Town, says, “We face water problem frequently because of damaged pipelines. The place is quite crowded and roads are not properly maintained. There are two slums around this area. It is safe during day but not at night. Police patrolling ought to be intensified.”

The corporator AR Zakir is trying his best to improve the civic amenities. “I see him going around, checking parks and public places. But it still has to improve in cleanliness. A few roads in Frazer town are shabby. We have well-maintained parks, big and small,” adds Lobo.

The worst problem of Frazer town is traffic chaos.
“Roads get clogged with men and machines all the time. This problem is especially acute at old Ashoka Theatre crossing, which happens to be the entrance to Tannery Road. Arrangement should be done to ease traffic, especially during the morning rush,” says Jude Tellis, director of RV Tutorials. Many others we met supported her view.