Chaos reigns supreme here

Chaos reigns supreme here
Junction On HAL Airport Road Is Unmanned, Lacks Pavements
Aarthi R | TNN

Bangalore: Wide, smooth roads here provide much needed respite. But chaos and confusion are just round the corner for motorists and pedestrians approaching the busy junction that connects HAL Airport Road, Indiranagar 100-Feet Road, Domlur and Koramangala.
“Excuse me. I am new to this area. Can you guide me to the nearest bus stop?’’ asks Geetha, little realizing that the bus stop is just a few yards from where she is standing. There are no boards to inform her. In fact, the bus stand does not even have a shelter.
A closer look shows a lot more facilities conspicuous by their absence here. The junction is unmanned most of the time and there is no zebra crossing either. Pedestrians complain about lack of proper footpaths.
Broken and badly maintained, pavements around the junction have long been occupied by overgrown weeds, parthenium and uncleared heaps of construction debris. Pedestrians resort to walking on the roads. During peak hours or when it rains, the scene here is chaotic.
While vehicles jostle for space, pedestrians can be spotted hopping from one block of broken footpath to the next, or jumping over dividers. “Forget the footpaths, this stretch does not even have proper street lighting during late hours’’ a 60-year old man says as he tries to stop an auto.
There are more than a few maintenance lapses on the flyover too. The stretch that connects Indiranagar 100-Feet Road to Airport Road has damaged walls with broken railings that are yet to be rectified. Heaps of garbage dumped in black polythene bags is also a common sight here.
Interior roads no better
Similar is the plight of some interior roads in Indiranagar. Posh houses in HAL II Stage, off 100-Feet Road, are surrounded by heaps of garbage. “There is no proper disposal facility here. Garbage is collected from houses, dumped by the roadside and cleared only after 5 pm. There are days when the truck does not come. Stray dogs and mosquitoes make the area unsafe for kids,’’ a resident says.
Scattered waste is a common sight on Intermediate Ring Road too. Preet, who often uses this road, says the 1-km stretch from Ejipura Cross Road junction to Embassy Golf Links is the worst. “A few days back, I was shocked to see garbage rotting in black plastic bags on either side of this otherwise well-maintained road. Many people also use this stretch as a public toilet,” she says.