Potholes swallow City Market business

Potholes swallow City Market business
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: The business hub of Bangalore - Avenue Road, City Market, SJP Road SP Road - pays one of highest property taxes to the Bangalore City Corporation (BCC) with commercial properties dotted all along. In return, the BCC has given them roads full of craters and potholes.

The stretch from City Market to Silver Jubilee Park road is filled with deep craters. The heavy vehicles including lorries and buses make their condition worse. The residents have written to the BCC repeatedly, but to no avail.

In the last three months, two motorists were injured when their bikes fell into one such hole. These roads were tarred just six months ago and with the recent rains, deep potholes have emerged.

According to B K Goyal, Secretary of Federation of Trade Association of Central Bangalore, when water gets clogged, craters are not visible and this increases the chance of accidents.

The sad state grips not just roads and bylanes but even those few footpaths these areas have. Goyal says more than 30,000 vehicles pass via City Market every day on NR road and SJP road.

The BWSSB too has added its own share to the woes of people here. Drains are blocked and often, open manholes fill up with water. The entire market area was flooded for a day after the recent rains because the drainage could not take the load of so much water and overflowed.

“The BCC and BWSSB shifted the responsibility to each other when we complained,” say shopkeepers.

They suggest that the City Corporation set up committees to oversee upkeep of roads and pavements involving members of the trade also.