Bumpy ride in Vijaya Bank colony

Bumpy ride in Vijaya Bank colony
Deccan Herald

“Walk to sheer ecstasy”, screams a builder’s billboard as you enter Vijaya Bank Colony off Bannerghatta Road. However, it is not the promise but the sheer irony of the message that hits you.


“Walk to sheer ecstasy”, screams a builder’s billboard as you enter Vijaya Bank Colony off Bannerghatta Road. However, it is not the promise but the sheer irony of the message that hits you. You might react with a wry smile as you brave the huge craters across the road. You might utter a rather well-deserved swear word, as your car ends up scratched while fighting with call-centre Sumos for road space. You might dismiss it with a despondent shrug, as you beat the long-neglected road.

Tall promises by real estate majors fail to cover up the harsh realities of daily living for this colony’s residents. For them, taking their vehicles out of their garages is an every-day ordeal. Despite repeated appeals, the approach roads and the layout roads have not been repaired from 1992 by the Bommanahalli City Municipal Council.

Ground reality

On the day Deccan Herald reporter visited the area, she was grateful for small mercies – at least it had not rained. The approach road that links Bannerghatta Road to the layout, located 1.5 km away, is in shambles. The 60-feet road that runs between Indian Institute of Management and HSBC’s call-centre is encroached upon by company vehicles. The pothole-ridden road has no traces of asphalt. Several lorries add to the congestion on this busy road. The entry point to the layout is perhaps the worst part of the stretch. Four huge craters block the route, that turns unmotorable after dark or on a rainy day.

The layout roads are no better. Even the road outside the Vijaya Bank Employees Housing Co-operative Society is in a bad shape. “We have been complaining to successive governments but no action has been taken,” rues Society President A Naveen Bhandary.

Flat menace

Booming apartment construction has also contributed to the mess. Loaded lorries batter the road through the day and the housing blocks have unleashed hundreds of private vehicles on the narrow roads. Association members point fingers at haphazard construction and the builders’ lackadaisical attitude. Their allegations are not without basis. Several builders have built multi-storeyed apartments on 60’x40’ and 50’x80’ sites, but there is not a semblance of a road outside their compound walls.

“It’s surprising that people still buy these flats. Property prices are as high as Rs 3,500 per sq foot, despite the absence of roads. How did the authorities give permission for these buildings?” asks Subhash Kedia, a resident.

Further, residents allege that builders cut roads for laying water and cable lines, but do not rectify the damage later.

ANY ANSWERS?

*Why the government is not providing basic infrastructure like roads,

despite collecting tax?

* Why not make apartment builders responsible for improving surrounding roads?

* Why not introduce an ‘impact tax’ on builders?

* Why not restrict construction of apartments in areas with poor infrastructure?

My daughter is ashamed to say she lives in Vijaya Bank Colony, because of the roads. Instead, she says she lives off Bannerghatta Road. My two cars have undergone several repairs because of bad roads.

Subash Kediya

Businessman

My uncle, who came visiting from Hyderabad went back with a slipped disk, thanks to the terrible roads. Autorickshaws are not willing to come or they charge exorbitant fares. There is only one bus service from here, forcing us to depend on private vehicles.

SUJATA

Housewife

I’ve approached S M Krishna, Dharam Singh and the present Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy asking for government’s help in the matter. Though they all promised support, none of them has done so till date..

BHANDARY

Vijaya Bank Resident Association President

We cannot even go to the neighbourhood shop in a two-wheeler without a helmet, because the roads are so dangerous. Things are stagnant here, no repair work seems to be pening.

VASUDHA

Airlines employee