'Ad barricades on MG Road could bring revenue to Palike'

The unscientific median strip created by the Bengaluru traffic police on the upmarket Mahatma Gandhi Road is not only endangering the lives of motorists but also leading to a huge revenue loss to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).

The advertisement section of the BBMP has a grouse that the barricades put up as road divider have advertisements of a construction material company and some other firms on the premier MG Road. The BBMP is getting nothing in return for the ‘charitable display’ of advertisements by the Bengaluru police on behalf of the private firms.

In his report Assistant Commissioner of the BBMP K Mathai had also pointed out the revenue loss to the Palike due to the unaccounted advertisement boards. Speaking to Deccan Herald, Mathai said the BBMP should issue notices to the police for the barricades with advertisements. He pointed out that there are certain medians having barricades in Delhi too but they do not violate any such rules. He added that he had categorically mentioned about the barricade advertisements, put up by the Bengaluru police.

A thought for pedestrians
The barricades with advertisements test the patience of the pedestrians as they are forced to walk almost a kilometre to reach the other end of the road, which is hardly 80 feet wide.

Namitha K, a software engineer, who uses the stretch quite often said the barricade is unscientific and ridiculous.

She summed up the plight of pedestrians by saying, “I need to walk till the Anil Kumble Circle or the Brigade Road junction to reach the other side of the road. Also, there is no skywalk on this busy road. The Namma Metro can provide us (pedestrians) access to cross the road but it does not allow us. I feel pity for the physically-challenged people who are forced to walk a good distance to cross the road. This barricade is absolutely inhuman.”

The techie said once she had to catch a bus on the other side of the road near the Namma Metro Railway Station but due to barricade she had to walk a lot. By the time she reached there, the bus had left.

A few months ago, all the barricades collapsed due to the strong winds. Motorists, who were plying on the road had a narrow escape. The incident had led to a massive traffic jam on the MG Road, whose cascading effect was witnessed at the Brigade Road Junction as well as the Anil Kumble Circle where hundreds of vehicles were stuck in the chock-a-block.