Hell on road

Hell on road
Sarjapur Road is the new magnet for construction and corporate activity. But its condition is pathetic. S Kushala’s ride through this congested and badly maintained stretch was nightmarish
The Times of India


Old Bangalore has not disappeared; it has moved here. So screams a huge billboard put up by a land developer on Sarjapur Road off Wipro corporate office. Once considered the fringes of Bangalore, Sarjapur Road is now the emerging “future Bangalore”, with a spurt in development, be it housing or spread of software and BPO firms.
This stretch is dotted with under-construction residential complexes and villas and the land value has gone through the roof. With the feverish construction activity has come the haphazard growth and chaos.
Identified as one of the important corridors carrying high-density traffic, Sarjapur Road is very complicated in nature. While the actual stretch runs from St John’s Hospital up to Kaikondanahalli, which traverses up to Sarjapur town in a V-shaped fork connecting Agara Junction-Outer Ring Road-Marathahalli, Sarjapur Road also takes the huge volume of spill-over traffic from Hosur Road.
Among the three roads, the stretch from Agara to ORR-Marathahalli is the most crowded, dominated by heavy vehicles during morning peak hours and a flurry of BPO vehicles during evening and night hours. According to the latest survey, the Outer Ring Road from Agara connecting Marathahalli handles about 8,600 PCUs per hour and is one of the busiest corridors in the ORR.
Since the service roads are not up to the mark, traffic is always on the main road. Also, developmental activity — housing constructions and mushrooming of IT/BPO firms — is further adding to the chaos.
The road from Agara to Sarjapur is being widened till the Wipro office. After that, the road’s condition is pathetic. On the face of it, it looks like any other village road — bumpy, dusty, potholed and, of course, without a trace of bitumen. This stretch beyond Wipro office too is important: What many don’t realise is that it is a state highway connecting Mulbagal, Attibele-Hosur and Devanahalli.
“The road has not been repaired for more than a decade now. I don’t remember ever seeing this road with the black bitumen coating. After Wipro authorities made noise two years ago, the road was done up to their office and not beyond that,’’ says Raju, a tea vendor in Carmelaram Gate near Dommasandra.
It is true. Not an inch of the road beyond Wipro is motorable. A few years ago, when IT czar Azim Premji created a din over the pathetic condition of Sarjapur Road, the government was caught unawares. It took some time for the authorities to locate under whose jurisdiction Wipro office and the road was located.
Records were pulled out and then came out the mess: Wipro office on Sarjapur Road is not within the designated IT belt — Whitefield or Electronic City. The place where Wipro office is situated falls under Doddakannalli gram panchayat and half-a-kilometre away the area is under Bellandur gram panchayat. Sarjapur Road is maintained by the public works department, but the BDA approves building plans and layouts.
Reacting to Premji’s outburst, the government formed Sarjapur Road Task Force, entrusted the task to the PWD secretary, released funds and the stretch was metalled.
Travel on the 5-km stretch of Sarjapur Road between Wipro office and Dommasandra on a two-wheeler, and it will truly be a back-breaking and nerve-wracking experience! No comment is a comment: Wipro
One of the biggest IT companies situated on the road — Wipro — does not wish to comment on the ‘hellish’ stretch. They seem to have given up hope to set things right there.
A Wipro official spokesperson has this to say: “We have no comments about the state of Sarjapur Road. The condition is such that we have nothing left to say about its condition. The fact that we have no comment is in itself the biggest comment. Everytime we have said something in the past, the issue has been blown out of proportion.’’
Lack of service roads has caused bottlenecks on the main road. The construction of another peripheral ring road by the BDA will help in easing the traffic chaos. Also, the PWD should take up sixlaning of the existing stretch to accommodate the heavy volume of traffic. — Traffic expert and chairman of Traffic Engineers and Safety Trainers M N Sreehari
Sarjapur Road is the destination-next for housing as the city has run out of land everywhere. Over 80 per cent of our flats have been booked. The only deterring factor is traffic congestion and many buyers feel they will be virtually living on the
road. The Outer Ring Road has lost its
purpose and has become a part of the
city road.
— A reputed builder whose housing
complex is coming up on the road
After the road from St John’s hospital junction to Krupanidhi College was made one-way, accidents have come down. We have posted more policemen to man the junction. Traffic has increased over the last two years due to rising apartments and software companies. We have also streamlined truck traffic from Iblur junction during morning and evening peak hours. — DCP, traffic (east) M A Saleem
In Numbers
Accidents from St John’s hospital to Kaigondanahalli where Adugodi traffic police limits end.
2004: 20 killed in 18 accidents; 88 injured in 96 accidents. 2005: 10 killed in 10 accidents; 60 injured in 77 accidents. 2006 till October-end: 8 fatalities; 49 injured in 71 accidents.
The problem
Jakkasandra to KSRP office: It is a two-way road which is narrow and cannot handle high-density traffic. Koramangala I block junction: Too crowded. Agara Lake junction: Drain work is on and the road has been temporarily made one-way. Four-lane road from Agara to Marathahalli: Too narrow for high-density traffic.
And the solution
The Agara Lake junction road is being made oneway as drain work is in progress. Once work is completed, the road will be free
PWD is building a link road from Sarjapur Road to Hosur Road via Dommasandra and Chandapura Cross. This will ease congestion Road construction from Sarjapur Road to Naganathapura is in progress which will bring down congestion