Bannerghatta Road residents protest

Bannerghatta Road residents protest
The Hindu

BANGALORE, FEB. 12. The placards and banners said it all. "We want good roads, not tall promises," "Where is the road? Help us find it" and "BG Road should be renamed Bumpy Road."

Residents of one part of Bannerghatta Road are unhappy that while repairs are being carried elsewhere on the road — and some completed — a two-km stretch remained as it has been for years together.

Led by Mantri Apartment Owners' Association, those living in Nobo Nagar, L&T colony, Nandi Layout and Gottegere and students of schools from as far as Hulimavu and Arekere joined the peaceful protest.

Road blockade

While marching from Meenakshi Temple to Arekere Gate and back, they blockaded the road near the HSBC junction for 15 minutes and later allowed the traffic to pass.

"We requested the PWD Chief Engineer to come and he asked the Assistant Engineering, located closer, Nagappa, to immediately come to us," said T.K. Chandrasekhar, president of Mantri Residency Apartment Owners Association. The Assistant Engineer made a firm commitment: the delayed formality of finalising tenders for repairs to the two-km stretch will be completed by February 28, work will start on March 1 and most of it completed by end of that month or early April. The PWD will spend Rs 2 crores for this stretch.

It could not have happened sooner. The road is used by hundreds of commuters working in places such as Whitefield and as few thousand school children. It leads to markets, hospitals and to the city suburbs. At present the road does not have a median, there are large tree stumps one can crash into at night, no sidewalks or pedestrian crossings. Manoeuvring of vehicles to avoid giant potholes results in frequent accidents. Commuting to work and back longer than it should.