The city’s sidewalks are all dug up, what’s going on?

STEP ASIDE PLEASE, WORK IN PROGRESS
The city’s sidewalks are all dug up, what’s going on?
The Times of India

HEAPS of rubble, giant slabs of stone, sand piles and cement greet the walker on the streets. Never mind barely surviving the rushing traffic, finding a firm footing on what was once the pedestrian’s safety net has become even more difficult. While all these are signs of work in progress, how long should the pedestrians continue to play hop, skip and jump?

Rest House Road, a quiet residential street off Brigade Road is a nightmare for both drivers and pedestrians, not to mention those who live there. Marketing executive, Rakhee Lalvani, a resident, is exasperated, “This work has been going on for so long! First of all it is a narrow road, a two-way on top of that and now half the road is dug up which is causing havoc all day. It used to be such a lovely place to live in, but now we are even contemplating moving out because of all the mess. Of course, it is a good thing that we are getting sidewalks, but at least work in an organised manner. Make the road a one way, put up signs and hurry up!”

Lack of sign boards can make work areas into potential death traps. PR executive, Arpit Majumdar agrees, “My elderly aunt, while walking accidentally stepped into a gaping hole right in the middle of a sidewalk. Work was being done there and there was no sign or anything. There was just no slab there, she went right in, hit her head and broke her arm. It could have been a lot worse.” His woes continue, “I live in Richmond Town, where the roads are very narrow, and because of all the one ways traffic has been diverted onto internal roads. This has made walking almost impossible. Here, we need sidewalks!” he says.

On the other hand, Chief Engineer(Projects), AM Ranganath says, “Construction by itself is a very messy affair. We try our best to cause as little disturbance as possible, but there is no shortcut for development. Bangalore consists of 4000 km of road. How soon can we finish the work? Go to Indiranagar, Koramangala, Jeevan Beema Nagar and you will see the changes. As far as warning signs are concerned, it is the responsibility of the contractors to make sure they are up. But we will look into it.” A resident of Koramangala, style expert Gautam Kalra elaborates, “I must say, that ever since the new government has taken over, things are looking up. In and around where I live, proper work is being done. The flyovers are shaping up, roads are being widened and sidewalks are being laid. If these are the signs to go by, then it looks like changes are taking place.”

On that happy note, lace up your sneakers and watch where you put your foot. It’s work in progress, after all.