Kasturba Road widening work goes on and on

Undue delay in completing the work on widening the road from Siddalingaiah Circle on Kasturba Road to MG Road junction has been causing inconvenience to pedestrians as well as motorists.

Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had taken up the work in 2010. But work on only one side of the road near Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum has been completed so far. The other side, near UB City traffic signal junction has been dug up and kept open for more than six months posing great danger to pedestrians as well as motorists.

A private firm employee, L Raju, said: “Last week, a foreigner fell into a pit on the work site as there was no place to walk. The Palike should complete the work early so that the public do not suffer.”

The road widening project was proposed by the BBMP in the year 2009. The project includes establishment of a new drainage system and footpath along with the widening of the lane by 10 to 12 meters on either side.

“The project got delayed as the first contractor did not execute any work for about a year. Hence, we handed over the project to Karnataka Road Development Corporation Limited (KRDCL). The work will take another three to four months to finish,” said S Somashekhar, Chief Engineer, Roads and Infrastructure, BBMP.

Asha S, who frequents the road, said: “It’s really difficult to walk on the road with no footpath. It’s a very busy junction and there are chances of people meeting with accidents. The Palike should understand the gravity of the situation and complete the work at the earliest.”

Presently, drainage pipes are being laid. Soon the road will be concreted and footpath will be laid. Most of the work takes place in the night as the flow of traffic is high during the day,” said a worker on the site.