Here, walk on toeholds & prayers

Here, walk on toeholds & prayers
The Times of India

Bangalore: Sanjaynagar Main Road is a pedestrians’ nightmare. They are never sure where the pavement begins or ends. A gaping drain, iron rods and PVC pipes jutting out force people on to the road, where they have to contend with speeding vehicles.
The road is such that even a single parked car can trigger a traffic jam. Result: it takes hours to clear the jam. Of course, residents have received their share of promises — a
black-top road, interlocked footpath and proper drainage. The World Bank-funded project, which entails an expenditure of Rs 4 crore, was started in March 2006, and should have been completed by June this year. However, there is no sign of progress.
For the past two months, the 4.4 km-long footpath has been dug up to lay drains. Stone chips and boulders remain dumped by the roadside. This makes it difficult for people to even cross the road. “Accidents are a regular feature here. Fortunately, there have been no fatalities,’’ said shopowner Gopal.
According to Sanjaynagar Resident Welfare Association president V Sathyamurthy, the work on the drains is shoddy.
Sanjaynagar Main Road is one of six roads taken up for development by the Hyderabad-based K Narasimha Reddy Constructions Limited. BBMP commissioner S Subramanya said: “The company has failed to carry out the work within the stipulated time-frame and we have imposed a penalty on them for the delay.’’
When Lok Ayukta Justice N Santosh Hegde inspected the area in April, it was promised that pending work would be completed within 15 days. Some progress was seen initially, but it has again come to a halt. In June, the commissioner wrote to the resident association president, admitting that the quality of work is indeed poor. He entrusted two engineers to ensure quality work.
“The company has requested for an extension till December,’’ said Puttamaligaiah, project director.