A struggle that brewed for a year

Malleswaram residents got wind of the road widening plan in 2010 and Jawahar Sports Club, in particular wrote to the Chief Minister appealing to drop the proposal on June 30 last year.

As many as five local sports clubs and senior citizen clubs joined the campaign and also made a similar plea. The residents had said that the road widening would eat up the triangular-shaped playground, the only open space for children and sports lovers.

Loss of playground

"The ground measures 200 metres from east to west and 15 metres on the north near the Mariamma junction. The widening of the Sankey Road will serve a death sentence for the ground as it would mean the acquisition of 10 to 15 metres of the ground from Sampige Road," says the letter to the chief minister.

The letter also suggested that the traffic could be regulated by making the stretch one-way from Malleswaram Circle to the Indian Institute of Science. 

Currently, the one-way on Sampige Road extends only up to Mariamma junction. The residents are yet to get a response from the chief minister’s office.