JOIN USThe dingy and poorly-lit lanes, side-walks and streets on some stretches of the Outer Ring Road pose quite a huge risk to pedestrians, especially women.
The absence of street lights in many parts of this area makes it unsafe for people to frequent this stretch after dark. Citizens point out that the break-neck speed at which most motorists drive on this stretch is also quite intimidating.
“The stretch from Iblur firing range to the Belandur signal has no street lights. It is an empty dark stretch and hardly any vehicles stop on that road. The trees and bushes makes things easy for eve-teasers and thieves. Most vehicles zoom past this area and it is quite difficult to get anyone to help in case of an emergency,” says Sneha, a professional, who commutes on that stretch.
Most other stretches on the Outer Ring Road are also in a similar condition. The stretch from Koramangala first block to the Agara junction is completely dark after sunset as the street lights have stopped functioning for more than a year. The broken and damaged roads makes travelling a nightmare for most people who travel on that stretch.
“The road leading from Koramangala first block to Agara has not had any street light for more than a year now and there are huge craters on that stretch. Accidents are very common as motorists tend to skid and fall into the huge potholes in the dark. Moreover, this particular stretch has heavy traffic in the peak hours and the only source of light are the headlights of the vehicles. It is difficult for motorists when there are no street lights and we have learnt to cope with the situation,” points out Abbe, a student.
Despite complaints from residents, the authorities have not done anything to replace the street lights in this part of the City and claim that they are planning to do the needful.B Dayanand, additional commissioner of police (traffic), informs that he has conveyed the problem to the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA).
“We had a meeting with the BDA quite recently and had a discussion about the street lights and its maintenance. We are trying to coordinate and also planning to increase police patrolling on the Outer Ring Road,” he explains.
Subhash, who lives near the Outer Ring Road, says that he thinks twice before going out after 9 pm even if he has to buy necessities.
“It becomes quite deserted by 8.30 pm. The lack of street lights increases the risk of being robbed in the Outer Ring Road area. I prefer to stay indoors unless I am in a group. There have been incidences of people being mugged earlier and yet, the authorities have not bothered to fix the street lights,” he sums up.