Road needs repair, but BBMP wants rain to end

A road linking Channasandra and Hope Farm that grabbed headlines in the last one year continues to remain in bad shape, thanks to the civic agencies.

The road connects the villages around Channasandra with the main city roads like the ITPL Road, Whitefield Road, Bellandur Outer Ring Road and Sarjapura Road.

Following protests by the local residents, the road, completely neglected until a few years ago, came to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP) attention last year. But the repair works are going on for a year. “Most roads in the Kadugodi ward are in a bad shape. The BBMP has begun repair works only recently. It’ll take some time (to spruce up) the roads,” local corporator Muniswamy S said.

He said the work to lay gas pipeline is going on, while polls have been put up for streetlights. “The road will be asphalted soon. Until then, we ask commuters to be patient,” he said. Commuters, however, are outraged by the slow pace of work. “The road is dangerous with several pothole covers rising a good six inches in the middle. No streetlights or trees. Dust swirls around and we see gravel everywhere,” said Soumya Misra, a commuter.

The condition of the road has steadily worsened. Rains had stopped the asphalting work, letting the top layer of the soil wear away. BBMP workers have only filled the potholes with gravel.

Commuters fear that the road would be completely ruined if the monsoon showers hit the city. They urge the BBMP to complete the works soon. The civic officials, on the other hand, say they cannot do the road work when it rains.