Poor work: leaking roofs, walls keep users away

Poor work: leaking roofs, walls keep users away
Jayanagar TTMC Building Work Incomplete After A Year
Aarthi R | TNN

Bangalore: It was built with a swanky futuristic look but all what’s within is huge empty spaces and leaking walls and roofs.
There is a plan for at least 10 Traffic and Transport Management Centres (TTMCs) for the city, under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). But the very first TTMC built at Jayanagar 4th Block sees persistently leaking roofs and walls in less than a year.
Constructed at a cost of Rs 12.9 crore, this building was completed in July 2009 and declared open within a month. According to the plan, the TTMC was to house a multi-level parking lot, mini-shopping centres, food courts, BangaloreOne kiosks and ATMs among others.
Almost close to completing a year now, all the promises are still on paper. Apart from the busy bus service in the basement, there’s been no progress within. A quick survey of the entire building reveals nothing more than empty spaces, unfinished structures and poor quality of construction. Even the flooring and electrical wiring have not been completed. The walls and beams have already given in to the recent rain. The unfinished wiring works on the first and second floors are now seen soaked.
At a time when there is serious shortage of parking space, this TTMC has a huge park and ride provision on the terrace with a capacity of nearly 110 cars. The original idea behind it was that people could drive in, park their cars/twowheelers and board their bus. But, with no lifts ready yet, people are forced to walk the entire ramp up and down to park and ride. According to locals here, weekdays hardly see even 10-15 cars parked here. Even on weekends, the numbers hardly touch 20.
To make matters worse, there is no proper lighting or security within the building during the evening hours and this prevents many from using the parking space. “The parking fee is very comfortable but what’s the point when you cannot use the facility,” laments a person who was trying to park his car. Absence of rainwater harvesting and fire safety measures are other concerns.
WHEN WILL IT BE READY FOR USE?
There are no proper answers to the question yet, admits Jayanagar MLA B N Vijayakumar. “The main purpose is complete as of now. There could be some relief with a parking shelter above. Improper planning of space utilization here has a majority of the building still unused,” he said.
According to the original plan, ground floor was to be a bus stand, the BMTC office on first floor and parking on second floor. NURM’s condition for the project is that these TTMCs must be a public space and not for commercial purposes. However, with no proper response from the RTO and the commercial tax offices yet to set up their counters here yet, little is known about the plight of the incomplete first and second floors at this TTMC.


Present state of the traffic and transport management centre in Jayanagar 4th Block