Road-widening may hit JP Nagar homes

Road-widening may hit JP Nagar homes
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: Forty-four residents of JP Nagar 15th Main might lose parts of their property because the BBMP plans to widen a stretch of the Ring Road near JP Nagar.
Many residents including Jnanpith award winner Girish Karnad, actress Tara, Arti and Mamata Raosaid said they were not issued any notice of the road-widening work.
“I was clueless about the work. The BBMP didn’t issue any notice to me or other residents. The contractor was very friendly but the information he gave us about portions of our houses possibly being taken away was very devastating,” Karnad told TOI. He said he was shocked by BBMP’s intention. “Last month, the BBMP came and dumped the machines and said they are constructing an underpass. Later they said they were going to widen the road and the footpath would be affected too,” said Tara.
“This did not seem enough. They said they will take seven feet from 44 houses on that road. All this without any notice,” she said.
“The BBMP told us that it is for betterment of the public. Are we not part of the public? And by doing so would we not undergo both emotional and monetary loss?” Tara asked.
President of the JP Nagar Citizens’ Association, D B Meundi, who met BBMP chief engineer Gopalaswamy, said no notice was given to the residents and none of them were ready to give up any part of their land.
People complained that they were plagued with problems of water supply, electricity and communication disruption after the BBMP started the underpass work. Students also faced problems getting to school. Dr Meundi said: “The BBMP wants to lay a service road and a small footpath for the so called Ring Road. This so called Ring Road is not a road at all. It’s a just a detour and they cannot lay the service road.”
Meanwhile, BBMP officials could not be reached despite repeated attempts to seek clarification on the exact nature of work near JP Nagar 15th Main.