It is not an unusual story. We have heard it a zillion times. It is the tired old story of a neighbourhood, first avoided because it seemed far removed from civilisation, now bustling with commerce. But talk to long-time residents of Krishamachari Avenue, and they would tell you this story as if it were only theirs.
Actually, they could be forgiven for being ‘proprietary’ about this story, because the neighbourhood has indeed changed immensely.
Off Lattice Bridge Road and Sardar Patel Road, Krishnamachari Avenue was off limits for the transport corporation until only four decades ago. Needless to say, there were fewer things more difficult than selling plots in this neighbourhood. “We had to wait till the road was developed for property buyers to show any interest,” recalls D. K. Vasu, son of D. Krishnamachari, whose family was selling plots and settled down in those that they kept for themselves. The locality was named after Krishnamachari.
Nearly 17 plots, each measuring one-and-a-half grounds, are found on this street. Residents began to build houses on them from the Seventies.
It took these residents some time to settle down and think of the finer aspects of living, such as forming a residents association. Sometime in the Eighties, Krishnamachari Avenue Welfare Association (KAWA) was formed.
Twenty years down the line, the association remains a small but a close-knit group, with a meet-up organised every month. “We would visit the Corporation office regularly to represent any issue that would crop up. It was one of the well-kept areas in the 80s and the Corporation wanted to promote it as a model street,” says T.R. Satyamurthi, one of the founders of the association. The water table was high. As K.V. Srinivasan, an ex-Serviceman, says, “Water was available at 10 ft in 1983. In 1993, it was found at 20-23 ft. We should say the water table has not depleted as much as in other areas.”
If there is one issue that residents would want to take to the streets for, it is commercialisation of the quiet locality. This is a fallout of the development along LB Road and Sardar Patel Road. The rear sections of many commercial establishments on these busy stretches face Krishnamachari Avenue, which often leads to the locality being clogged with vehicles of evening shoppers. Without naming the establishments, S. Seshadri says that they have provided ramps for vehicles to enter their complexes from the rear side, which often leads to a situation where residents cannot take their vehicles out. Residents have however not allowed commercial interests to walk roughshod over them. The women folk rallied together and successfully fought a battle against a liquor shop. Next, a biriyani shop was moved out.
Among the other ongoing issues is improper clearance of garbage.
“At present, garbage bins are not cleared at regular intervals. Many a time, they are found overflowing,” says M.N. Neelakantan, the association president. Residents are also campaigning for the pavement on LB Road to be extended.
