Delayed drainage work on Mysore Road hurts traffic

Delayed drainage work on Mysore Road hurts traffic
By Satish Shile
Delayed works contribute much to the traffic woes in Bangalore city.


On Mysore Road, particularly during peak hours, vehicles are stuck for a long time. Thanks to the delayed drain work across the road near The Club on Mysore Road.

Construction of a drain across the road began three months ago, at a total cost of Rs 70 lakh. The work should have been completed by now, as per the time frame allotted. However, the work is yet to be completed. Heavy rains are blamed in addition to the “non-cooperation” of the BWSSB officials.

The Palike took up the project to avoid flooding on the road during rainy season. “Whenever it rains the road gets inundated affecting vehicular movement. Two-wheelers find it hard to ply on the road. The reason for the flooding of the road is the absence of a drain. The palike took up the drain work but it did not progress on the expected pace,” said Shivakumar, resident of ITI layout.

Also, the trenches dug for the work are filled with water during the rains. Workers had spent their valuable time pumping out water. There was no progress in work for nearly a month, said Sajjat a resident of the area. Half of the road is dug because of the work and only a narrow space is left for vehicular movement. Vehicles moving from the city towards Kengeri had to slow down after crossing the circle at the entrance of the Rajarajeshwari temple arch. There is a BMTC bus stop between the circle and the site of the work, where buses bound to Jnanabharati and Kengeri stop. However, the buses have to stop on the road itself, as there is no exclusive bus bay. Whenever a BMTC stops on the road, hundreds of vehicles queue up behind it.

Madhusudan, an auditor by profession, who lives in Rajarajeshwari Nagar, pointed out that buses should not be allowed to stop in the middle of the road. The bus stop should be located at a place where the movement of other vehicles is not affected.

Non-cooperation

Chief Engineer (Storm Water Drains) Chikkarayappa said that the work was delayed for a few weeks because of the non-cooperation by the BWSSB officers. A water supply pipeline came in the way of drain work across the road. The palike requested the board to re-align the pipeline. Even weeks after our request the board did not respond. Two days ago the Palike decided to go ahead with the work. “However, we have taken measures to continue with the work without affecting the water pipeline,” he said.

PEOPLESPEAK

Recently we did shooting for a movie in The Club. It was raining heavily and was difficult to walk on the road as it was flooded with water. Moreover, the road has become narrow because of the drain work, which remains unfinished. The Palike should complete the project at the earliest.

-Vaatapi, film production

I keep moving on this stretch of the Mysore Road regularly. Traffic jam has become a daily affair. Particularly during the week-ends the situation on the road is worse. The drain adjacent to the road is not covered. During rains the entire road is submerged in water. The Palike should cover the drain and make way for the free flow of water.
-Madhusudan, auditor

Traffic movement was smooth before the Palike took up the work on the road. Since the day the work started there has been traffic woes.Till now there is no progress in the work.Moreover, due to rains the work had been stopped for several weeks. I don’t know how long we have to go through this ordeal.

-Girish, ITI Layout

Recently, I was stuck on the road for nearly 45 minutes, while returning from Kengeri. It was raining heavily and the traffic movement was too slow. The Palike should speed up the work as Mysore Road is a busy road.

-Shivakumar, works in a private firm