Palace Road work delayed

Palace Road work delayed
AKANKSHA MEHROTRA
BENGALURU


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While BBMP daw dles with work to widen Seshadri Road, commuters are forced to bear with the traffic congestion on the stretch, made worse by delays in construction of the underpass on Palace Road.
The underpass was supposed to be completed within six months but appears to be interminably delayed.

BBMP officials, however, are trying to pass on the buck to the BWSSB, that they say is not shifting water lines to allow the civic agency to construct the underpass.

“We have been requesting the water board to shift the water lines as soon as possible so that the project can be finished. But there has been no proper response from the board,” a BBMP official said on condition of anonymity.

“BWSSB officials are going about things as they please and they are not bothered about the inconvenience that the public faces on a daily basis. The shifting of utility lines was announced in February 2009, but the issue has not been addressed as yet.” BWSSB officials, on their part, say BBMP has to sanction the money for the shift ing of the water lines before it can take up the work.

“Water lines from RC College to Maharani College Junction were shifted in February itself when the underpass construction was taking place. The lines from Maharani College to Mysore Bank Circle are supposed to be shifted for road widening work, but we can start the work only when we get the money from BBMP for it,” BWSSB chief engineer Venkat Raju said.

With the monsoon hitting the city, the delay in the project is making matters worse for commuters as well as traffic cops in the area.

Underpass under way: Commencement: Octo-ber 2008. Deadline: March 2009. Cost: Rs 350 lakh.