On the street where you live - An underpass too overdone

On the street where you live - An underpass too overdone
AKANSHA MEHROTRA
DC | BENGALURU


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● PUTTENAHALLI PROJECT VEXES RESIDENTS

So fed up are peo-ple of J.P. Nagar with the noise and pollution caused by the ongoing underpass work at Puttenahalli that some of them are even selling their houses and moving away. They see little other option as BBMP has threatened to break down the compound walls of their houses to make way for the underpass.
“We have decided to move as the noise and dust have become unbearable. Moreover BBMP has said our compound wall will be broken down to make way for the underpass,” says Narayana Shankar who lives in JP Nagar 6th Phase.

It’s not just ordinary people like him, who are having to put up with the inconvenience caused by the ongoing work, but also prominent citizens like Kannada actress Tara. Delayed by several months already, the work on the underpass doesn’t seem likely to be completed sooner than December, much to the anger of people here who will now have to cope with the noise and air pollution for even longer. “The project was started without giving any prior notice to the people here. It’s causing a lot of inconvenience,” says Tara.

“The work sometimes starts at night, which is a nuisance particularly for children, senior citizens and heart patients, and the dust makes it difficult to breathe.” The actress says people are being harassed by BBMP’s threat to acquire their properties for the underpass.

“BBMP officials told us that our compound walls will be broken down to carry out the work. So some of the residents even sold their properties at low rates and moved away.

“But the officials themselves now seem confused about it all. I am not vacating my property as it was allotted to me by the government,” she asserts.

The project, which started on May 16 last year, was supposed to be completed in three months.

“We expected the underpass work to be completed at least by May this year, but due to change of contractors and the indifference of BBMP officials, this seems next to impossible,” says Kiran Rao, a resident of Silver Oak layout in JP Nagar.

Transport minister R.Ashok, who visited the spot about a month ago, had warned that strict action would be taken against the contractor if he did not finish the project by the last week of June this year.