JOIN USA potholed mess that is Ulsoor
Jogupalya main road, for instance, one of the key roads connecting Indiranagar to MG Road, is facing the consequences of BBMP’s decision to begin work on stormwater drains (SWD) in the monsoon.
The road, which houses a host of shops apart from residences, is inundated with drain water at nights as shop owners pump out water stagnating in front of their shops and onto the roads.
Balaji, a provision store owner, complained: “They did not do any work all summer and now they have dug up the sides of the road which lead to our shops and have suspended work due to rains. There is water all over the place, how can we live here.”
The BBMP contractor, in his defence, said: “We can work only after we receive the work order. We got the work order only recently, but we had to suspend work as it has been raining.”
While the SWD problem is being fixed by the Palike, the Lakshmipuram Main Road, which connects Jogupalya to CMH Road and also the Old Madras Road, is an inconsistent stretch –– too wide or too narrow –– and is inadvisable for vehicles.
Criss-cross
On reaching Old Madras Road near Ulsoor police station, one has to begin the stressful task of criss-crossing a road that is so uneven that it puts to shame the City’s civic agency.
The road is particularly bad from Lido Mall to Trinity Circle. The road near the Subramanya Temple, near CMH Road, is also in bad shape.
Although the condition of the road was slightly better a few months ago after the BMRCL “repaired” it after the completion of its work on the stretch, it has given way, causing severe traffic jams in the mornings.
Peak hours are worse as police struggle to handle the in-pouring traffic to the central business district from Indiranagar and beyond. Vehicles have to go past this junction since other major roads like Cubbon Road are not open for traffic.The huge craters that dotted this stretch for the last two-three months are now filled with loose sand or pebbles, either of which are unable to hold.
“This has made the road more uneven. How do they expect sand to hold during the rain?” questioned Suresh Babu, a resident of Lakshmipuram.
Reappearing potholes
Ulsoor Road, the road behind The Oberoi hotel, has never recovered from the work done by BWSSB about a year ago. Plagued by reappearing potholes right outside the LIC quarters, the road has at least nine uneven patches leading all the way up to Adiga’s
Hotel at the corner that connects to the MG Road and the Cubbon Road.
The situation is the same in parts of Richmond Road and numerous educational institution in and around do not help the cause. The stretch near Baldwin’s Girls’ High School, near the Coffee Day is very uneven and similar is the case near Lifestyle, next to Philomena’s Hospital.
Unlike in Ulsoor, the problem of Richmond Road is not only due to civic projects. With Residency Road unavailable for vehicles going towards Richmond Circle and further, the road suffers due to the bad quality coupled with heavy traffic.
Admitting to the bad condition of roads, Ulsoor Corporator Uday Kumar said: “There is absolutely no allocation for our ward. But I have pushed for Rs 60 lakh for the betterment of roads and I am waiting for the allocation.”
Jogupalya Corporator Goutham said: “I cannot tell how much allocation has been made for our ward. But there is something.”
Fund
* Allocation under the ward level funds for Ulsoor: Rs 2 crore
* Special ward grants
to Ulsoor: Rs 25 lakh
* Allocation to Jogupalya:
Rs 2 crore
* Special ward grants to
Jogupalaya for BWSSB projects: Rs 25 lakh
DH report spurs MLA into action
Taking note of Deccan Herald’s campaign against ‘crumbling roads’, BJP MLA from Malleswaram, Dr Ashwathnarayana said he will try to make his constituency pothole free.
“We have already started filling the potholes with cold asphalt to ensure that commuters find it easy to travel on the roads,” he said.
He also admitted that the one road which had remained a persistent problem was the one near the Mohammadan Block (M K Block) which was under the purview of the BMRCL.
“Efforts are on to repair this particular stretch,” he said.
Meanwhile, the amount allocated by the BBMP for the strengthening the arterial and sub-arterial roads is Rs 15 crore and not Rs 150 crore as mentioned on Friday.