No need to white-top South End Road: PIL in HC

A PIL petition has been filed against the white-topping of South End Road from Madhavan Park to Nettakallappa Circle via Nagasandra Circle.

A division bench of acting Chief Justice L Narayana Swamy and Justice Dinesh Kumar issued a notice to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on the petition filed by A C Chandrashekar and seven other residents of Basavanagudi. The petitioners want the court to stop the authorities from undertaking the white-topping of the said road in southern Bengaluru.

The petitioners contended that the BBMP hadn’t come up with a scientific method for the white-topping of roads to provide for the smooth flow of rainwater or drainage water. No culverts have been built either. White-topping a road in an unscientific manner will result in uneven roads that will eventually hold water and damage the stretch, the residents stated and asserted that South End Road does not require white-topping.

BBMP 'indifferent'

What has especially upset the residents is the BBMP’s indifference to their representations. They said they had urged the civic body to stop the white-topping work but it paid no heed.

The petitioners further pointed out that all the white-topping works being carried out by the BBMP are running behind schedule, and sought the court’s intervention to facilitate the conception of a scientific mechanism for white-topping. This would require: a. choosing the appropriate road, b. carrying out the work in a scientific manner and c. finishing the project on time by causing minimum inconvenience to the public.

A nightmare for citizens

The BBMP’s white-topping projects have become a living nightmare for residents all over the city, causing traffic jams and resulting in dust problems.