JOIN USThe bad condition of roads in the City due to the ongoing Metro works has riled even the Governor, H R Bhardwaj, who suffered a back pain when his vehicle ran into a huge pothole while returning from Jayanagar.
At a recent event, the Governor said the Metro works had badly damaged roads in the City. He also instructed the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) to restore the roads where Metro works have been taken up.
The BMRCL has, however, paid little heed to the Governor’s instruction as roads damaged by Metro works continue to be in bad shape. Mysore Road and roads around K R Market, Jayanagar and Peenya, etc have been badly damaged by Metro works.
Residents of Jayanagar and the surrounding areas complain of health hazards and dust pollution. They say the construction debris and badly maintained roads have put them to great hardship.
“The road from Jayanagar 4th Block 30th Cross to 38th Cross is nothing but a disaster zone. I had written a letter to the then Managing Director of BMRCL, N Sivasailam, in July, complaining about the state of roads,” said Mukund Rao, the secretary of Citizens’ Action Forum, an NGO. “But there has no response till date. Residents of South End Circle and R V Road are the worst-affected.” Kanakapura Road has also been badly hit. Motorists and pedestrians complain about the huge craters and potholes on the stretch. A student who rides on Kanakapura Road to reach college, said: “I have started getting back pain and skin allergy because of the dust pollution. It is a nightmare to drive on this road.”
When contacted, the BMRCL Managing Director, Pradeep Singh Kharola, promised to solve the issue “at the earliest”, saying Metro work was speeding up. “While executing big projects, minor problems do arise and are inevitable,” he said.