Malleswaram residents protest continuous digging of roads

Malleswaram residents, including senior citizens, held a march on Sunday morning protesting the digging up of roads and footpaths.

“For the last few years, the residents of Malleswaram have been silently enduring the non-stop work on their infrastructure,” said Suchitra Deep and Ravi Acharya from Malleswaram Social.

“There’s practically no road that hasn’t been dug up. BBMP, Bescom, BWSSB and even private telecom companies feel free to dig up any road at any time. When we leave home, we are not sure which roads are open and which ones to avoid.”

In the past, roads were unsafe for children and senior citizens, but now they are virtually impassable for adults. “The dust (kicked up as a result of roadwork) is leading to respiratory problems,” a member of Malleswaram Social said.

The march culminated at the office of Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan, who represents the constituency.

Residents also spoke of the inaccessibility of Sankey tank to senior citizens for much of the pandemic period and expressed their frustration over delayed work on Margosa Road. “When it was completed, we found that ramps were unusable, making the footpaths inaccessible to senior citizens.”

Malleswaram resident Preeti Sunderajan said the 17th and 18th Cross Road repaired recently have been dug up again and debris has been dumped.

“We understand that most of these projects are necessary. But there is no consultation with residents. The BBMP has not even conducted ward committee meetings for the last three months,” Preeti said, adding that residents are tired of the disruptions to normal life.

Malleswaram Social said projects should display information about the municipal agency, start and end date as well as contact details of the authorities concerned.

“Agencies must coordinate the works so that roads are not dug up again and again,” Deep and Acharya said. “When diverting traffic from a major road like Sampige or Margosa, the alternate routes like 4th Main should be made ready. Residents must be consulted and informed about the projects.”

They also reminded authorities that pedestrians are important just as vehicles, footpaths, road humps, and bus stops are.

Responding to the protest, Minister Ashwath Narayan said authorities have taken up the works to fulfil the locality’s needs for the next 30 years.

“Malleswaram is one of the oldest areas in the city. Water lines, manholes and underground drainage systems are very old. Our priority is to make it ‘Smart Malleswaram’,” the minister said.

He said inconvenience to the public is temporary as the works would help avoid digging up roads in the future for laying cables or other works. “All the issues will be resolved in the next two months,” he said.

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