IIMB takes to the streets over state of Bannerghatta Road

IIM-B students, along with schoolchildren and residents of Bannerghatta Road, stage a protest to draw attention of the administration to the sad state of the road, where the premier B-school is situated.


Photo courtesy: The Times of India


Photo courtesy: The Hindu

State of the Bannerghatta "Road"


Photo courtesy: Deccan Herald


Photo courtesy: The Hindu

Bannerghatta Road drives IIM-B students to streets
Times of India

They are the creme de la creme of the country; the would-be techie czars. And yet, they had no option, but take to the streets on Monday.

Reason? The Bannerghatta Main Road, which is nothing short of a glaring blot on the face of India’s Silicon capital.
Forget tech-gizmos: it is endless bumpy rides on an almost non-existent road, ended up pulling IIMB students on to the streets. After all, it was Wipro chief Azim Premji’s harangue last year which got some action on the Sarjapur road!

Can this bunch of techno hopefuls achieve a bit of this success?
Over 5,000 residents of the area and even the local version of the powers-that-be, Uttarahalli MLA R. Ashok, have pinned their hopes on it: they staged a three-hour dharna with the students, stopping all traffic on the ‘non-existent’ road.

The students have cause to be angry: the road is an absolute embarrassment for the IT city and particularly the top-tech campus of the IIMB, which is a must-visit for all top business and IT guns. “They end up coming late for visits and guest lectures. We cannot even say anything about it because it is our road which is bad,’’ students rued. The immediate concern is, however, the summer placements scheduled next month. “Some of the best companies come to our campus for recruiting us. Will it not cause a lot of inconvenience to the CEOs travelling from all over the world to pick us?’’ worried students asked.

Neelabh Sanval, a second-year PGDM student, was more explicit: “IIMB interacts with the outside world so much. Some of the bigwigs from the industry come to the campus for the management development programme. We host the biggest management fest where over 100 B-schools participate. And travelling is hell for visitors!’’ Bannerghatta Main Road also houses corporate offices, apartment blocks, marriage halls and includes the stretch leading to the National Park. Consequently, this pothole-plagued, narrow stretch of the road is perennially clogged.

The road turns even more nasty when it rains — people have to wade through kneedeep water. But does anyone care? For the road does not come under the purview of any city administrator — BDA or BCC — but under the humongous PWD! The residents got some respite about seven months ago when the previous government proposed four-laning of the stretch. The proposal also involved the residents’ participation — the cost would be shared between the government and residents in the ratio of 75:25.

An MoU was signed with the government. But, though the PWD has taken up four laning of the 5 km stretch from Mandovi showroom to Meenakshi temple road, work is moving at a snail’s pace. PWD is grappling with problems like shifting of Bescom and BWSSB lines which is delaying the project. The public, however, has done its share: the Rs 5.5 crore project has contributions from IT companies and Mantri group situated in the area to an extent of Rs 1.2 crore. PWD executive engineer Sridhar who came to the spot assured the residents that the potholes will be filled within 10 days and work on the repair of the roads will be taken up once the utility cables are shifted. But haven’t we heard this before?

Other reports:

Deccan Herald
The Hindu
Business Line