Road Roar: Going nowhere

Road Roar: Going nowhere
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: It’s high time the authorities stopped blaming the recent rains and woke up to ground realities.

It is very obvious to any road user that roads in Bangalore, save a few in core areas, have not been laid properly. Often what passes off as a newly asphalted stretch crumbles miserably as soon as it rains.

With the city accommodating more than 23 lakh vehicles, the condition of roads can only get worse as the BMP has not undertaken any repairs for more than a year now.

The busy K R Road, roads in J P Nagar, Yelahanka Double Road, K R Puram road, R T Nagar, H S R Layout, Sheshadripuram, Trinity Circle are a few stretches where driving is a nightmare.

According to BMP, 700 km of road has been damaged in the recent rains. And Rs 400 crore, it says, is now required to carry out repair.

“We don’t understand the money game. We want roads for our vehicles. Trying to avoid potholes can cause accidents,” said Ramesh Kumar, resident of Gandhinagar.

The stretch starting from Gandhinagar petrol bunk has huge potholes making vehicles move in single file.

“Authorities lay mud and bricks in potholes every time residents complain about road conditions. After a couple of days the roads are back to where they were,” says Mithali Dadh of Gandhinagar.

The roads at Anepalya and Neelasandra are disasters.

“There is only 20 feet of road here and the poor drainage system has added to the problems of motorists,” says Mirza Vazahath Ali, resident of Anepalya.

The roads here don’t have any sewage facilities. During the rains all the water gushes into the houses.

“We have given several complaints to the authorities, but, all in vain. The BMP men come regularly on time to collect the tax. But, not a single problem has been solved,” he adds.

Anapalya 1st Cross, Neelasandra Street, Austin Town Police Quarters Circle are other areas have similar roads.

In R T Nagar vehicles move at a snail’s pace during peak hours. Motorists complain that the roads were in bad conditions even before the monsoon.

“It’s tough to drive during nights,” says Aroop, resident of Sulatan Palya.

The busy K R Road hosts number of vehicles during peak hours. Residents in the nearby localities experience the mud rain during the peak hours.

“There will be so much of dust due to vehicle congestion. The mud in the potholes awry in the entire atmosphere,” says Santosh, a resident.