Give road back: BTM residents

Give road back: BTM residents
Blame HTV traffic for their woes
The Times of India

Bangalore: Thirty tuberculosis cases and at least two road accidents every day. All caused by 1,000 heavy transport vehicles speeding down the BTM 29th main road at 100 kmph. The 500 residents of the area had enough of this. They held a dharna and didn’t allow any lorry to pass through their roads on Saturday.

“We have been living in this hell for the past three years. Meeting the corporator, BMP commissioner or the chief minister has not helped. So, we held the dharna, demanding they give our road back,” said an agitated resident, Shiv Hari Chowdhary.

Three years ago, the HTV traffic along the Mysore-Hosur road was diverted, allegedly temporarily, to the 29th Main, because of the Jayadeva flyover construction. The lorry traffic was to stop soon after the flyover got completed.
“But now we are told that since the flyover ramp is too weak to take the load, the lorries will continue to ply on our colony road. Lorries, which are more than 30-foot high, carry sand, bricks, metal wires through our road, not only polluting the area, but also snapping our telephone lines,” said Karim, a resident.

With major accidents occurring on the road every day, morning walks are forgotten in this neighbourhood. Children and young adults are sick with lung ailments and avoid coming out.

Cases of chain and mobile snatching are on the rise, as residents are forced to take the ill-maintained and poorly lit routes to their houses.

“There are around 20 ‘to-let’ boards hanging in the lane as residents are opting to move out of the locality,” added Shan Aahat, another resident.

Ward corporator K Devdas, who arrived at the protest spot with the traffic police, pacified the agitated residents, saying he would ensure the problem is resolved soon.