Lorries, businesses block Veerabhadra Nagar service rd

The term ‘service road’ has acquired a new meaning at Veerabhadra Nagar, off PESIT College, where the space meant for vehicular movement has actually become a place for commercial services.

While eateries and garages line one side of the road, sand lorries are parked on the other and the result is nightmarish traffic congestion on the Veerabhadra Nagar junction. Traffic police, of course, do not seem to care.

“It’s been a year since this road became out of bounds for public use,” Suryakiran, a resident of Srinagar, told DH.

“Garbage dumped on the roadside has made it convenient for the lorry drivers to turn this into a parking lot. They cover the place with sand. One end of the road has been blocked with rocks so that the two-wheelers wouldn’t enter. So, the road is unavailable for public use,” he added.

Girinagar resident Chiranthan Rao accused the traffic police of apathy. “They rarely visit the place,” he noted. “When the traffic police show up, the lorries take off for a round and are parked back again at the same place.”

The only solution is to open up the road for traffic movement so that the issue at the junction can be addressed, Rao added.

Banashankari traffic inspector P C Krishna admitted that the service road is in a pathetic condition. “I have written to the BBMP to fix the road and make it available for traffic. Since a police station is getting built, it’s blocked on one side. When the BBMP fixes the issue, we’ll throw it open for traffic,” he said.