Testing time for citizens

Testing time for citizens
Bangalore, Feb 6, DHNS:

The development mantra is proving to be a hurdle for the residents with all the major roads either dug up for widening or the footpaths under renovation.

In several places granite slabs are removed to be replaced by the relatively fragile cement slabs and wherever there were cement slabs, they are being replaced with old stone slabs. In both the cases, the longevity of the pavements is not guaranteed as filter sand, PPC cement, and substandard slabs are used. In some places pavements have given away in just one week after it was laid. A glaring example is the slab in front of the old Indian Coffee House on MG Road where the slabs caved in within a few weeks after it was laid. Good stone slabs were removed on Dr Rajkumar Road behind a two-wheeler show room.

In Annapurneshwari Nagar, Nagarabhavi 2nd stage, a similar experiment was done. On HAL Airport Road too, the BBMP constructed pavements with substandard stones. On Sampige Road in Malleshwaram.

A common complaint on Sampige Road in Malleswaram is that the work on the pavement is sub-standard and not completed. On many occasions the work remain pending for several months.

Complaining about the low quality work, Vatsala Vedantam, a resident of Malleswaram 7th Main said the walls of the storm water drains are raised so much that it gives an impression that people are living in a hill besides a valley and the height of the footpath has been raised to two feet making it difficult for the elderly people to climb and walk. This is the reason that many pedestrians prefer walking on the road but the roads too are narrowed by the road-side parking.