Banashankari residents demand a safer road

Banashankari residents demand a safer road

Also a vacant plot which has become a garbage dump is posing health problems for the people living nearby

Accidents on the rise as sewage work leaves behind mounds of sand to trap motorists

Arunima Rajan. Bangalore



The rise in the number of accidents on 14th Main, 2nd Stage of Banashankari has fuelled the anger of residents who blame it on the bad roads.
Six months ago, they were happy when the road was asphalted. But their joy was cut short when civic authorities began to dig up the place to fix sewage pipes. Although they complained to the authorities, no steps were taken to address this problem.
Traffic flow is heavy on 14th Main as the outer ring road is blocked due to the construction of Kadirenahalli underpass. The bad condition of the road had led to frequent accidents. The stretch is mainly used by call centre cabs, two wheelers, and private cars.
"During the last two months, there were three accidents involving two wheelers. Although civic workers filled the pits after completing the sewage pipeline work, they left mounds of sand where bikes skidded while trying to overtake vehicles, " Shankar N, a resident, said.
The authorities have put up barricades on the road to prevent the entry of heavy duty vehicles which are blamed for many accidents on this stretch. Recently, the barricades at the entry point have been removed. However, natural barricades like trees ensure slow movement of traffic on this stretch.
Another problem faced by the residents is garbage piled up in a vacant site. Residents staying in 34th Cross are the main victims as their homes are located close to this vacant land. Since the plot has no fencing, people just walk into the plot and dump waste wherever convenient for them.
The residents staying near the vacant land prefer to stay indoors to escape the stink and also the mosquitoes that breed there. Residents cannot clean up the garbage daily. They have to spend Rs500 every time to get the garbage cleared .
But neither the stink nor the mosquitoes can stop the local children from playing in the vacant plot. Their parents fear that the mounds of waste could become a health hazard for them.
"Many children complain of fever and headache due to the filth collected near their houses. Banashankari is primarily a residential area, and the authorities should take steps to ensure the safety of the citizens," Ashok Shankar, a resident, said.
"We have allotted about Rs200 crore for the maintenance of the roads of Padmanabhanagar. Eighty percent of the roads have been asphalted. We will fix the other roads in 15 days," said transport minister R Ashok who is also MLA of the area. r_arunima@dnaindia.net