Are they roads or dirt tracks?

Are they roads or dirt tracks?
By Fathima Sumaya Khan,Satish Shile,DHNS,B'lore
Heavy rains have left their marks on Bangalore roads in the form of potholes and craters. Result: Bumpy rides, and twists and turns for motorists on roads.

Deccan Herald conducted a reality check on the state of some roads. Traffic on all the major roads, particularly in the central parts, has been hit, with two-wheelers being the worst-affected. While Lalbagh Road (Double Road) is dogged by several problems, road linking Vidyapeetha Circle and Katriguppe, which was completed under a World Bank-funded project two months ago, has developed big craters. Mysore Road, one of the busiest in south Bangalore, is troubled by bad roads too. Besides, there are many roads which cry for attention.

Denizens are outraged. “Had Palike officers been efficient, Lalbagh Road would not have been like this,” said Mohammed Ghouse, an autorickshaw driver pointing at a pothole on that road.

Let’s take a dekko at the sorry state of some Bangalore roads.

Mysore Road
A stretch of road in Nayandahalli, in Pantarapalya, is full of craters, giving motorists a nightmarish experience. “This stretch has not been asphalted for over three years. Heavy vehicles such as trucks, buses and lorries cause further damage to the road,” complained Rajshekhar, a shop-keeper in Nayandahalli.

When it rains heavily, the condition is even worse. “When it rains, sewage water from Vrishabhavathi Valley inundates the road, obstructing vehicular movement. As the road is damaged, it poses further problems for motorists as well as pedestrians,” said Bhavana, a regular traveller on this road.

K R Market
This area sees heavy traffic density, more so because a bus stand is located there. A stretch of road between Town Hall and K R Market flyover is in a pathetic state. B K Goyal, general secretary of Federation of Trade Associations of Central Bangalore, feels that concreting roads is the only solution. “SJP Park Road, NR Road, OTC Road and many internal roads need to be concreted and not asphalted as they cannot handle heavy vehicular movement,” he said.

Double Road
“Roads are not bad, but worse,” said Mohammed Ghouse, an autorickshaw driver. Ghouse’s view stands good for many roads in the central parts. Riding a vehicle on Double Road (Lalbagh Road) can be nightmarish.
Ghouse, a resident of Shantinagar, said movement of vehicles on Double Road is always slow because of potholes. “Due to recent showers, potholes are filled with rain water, obstructing traffic movement,” he said.The Double Road, which is right in front of central office of KSRTC, has several potholes. The condition of road in front of BMTC bus stand is equally pathetic.

M Sujatha, who works in a private laboratory on Lalbagh Road, passes by this road twice a day. “Riding a two-wheeler on this road is a painful experience,” she adds. Several roads in Shantinagar (ward no 70) are in a bad shape, while the Nanjappa and Basappa roads joining Double Road are full of potholes.

Richmond Town
The condition of roads on Kingstone Road, Hayes Road and Langford Grove in Richmond Town is no better. Though the locality is partly a residential area, the movement of vehicles is more. Narasimhalu, a professor’s driver, said driving a four-wheeler in Richmond Town is a Herculean task. “As many roads are narrow, driving is difficult, especially during peak hours,” he said.

Full of holes...

The Palike, under the World Bank-funded Karnataka Municipal Road Project, constructed a road linking Katriguppe main road and Vidyapeetha Circle at a cost of Rs 2.72 crore last year.

However, a large part of the road is potholed.

According to the Palike, the work was completed only two months ago as opposed to the deadline of October 2006.

However, within a few days, it has developed potholes.