JOIN USCertain roads in the City, which were in a terrible condition earlier, have
received a ‘facelift’ thanks to the many repair works that have taken place. However, residents feel that many of the smaller roads also need re pairs and the work needs to be consistent throughout the year .
Though roads like the Indiranagar 100 Feet Road, Viveknagar, Agram Road, Palace Road etc have been repaired, others like Ulsoor Main Road, JC Road, the road leading to Jayamahal 2nd Main Road from Cantonment Station, Lazar Road, Hennur Road and some patches on the Outer Ring Road (near KR Puram) are still in a bad shape. Citizens say that travelling on these roads is backbreaking.
Pavan, a commuter, notes that though roads have been mended in many areas, some of the smaller roads still need to be repaired as the traffic flow increases on these roads during peak hours.
“A couple of the narrow, interior roads that connect to the main road in areas like Bommanahalli and Belandur have been in a pathetic condition for a year now. These roads are used by most people during the peak hours to avoid the traffic on the main roads and need to be repaired immediately as they are broken and have huge potholes. These roads are also dangerous as there is a high chance of a motorist overlooking one of the potholes and falling right into it,” he notes.
Somashekhar, the chief engineer of road infrastructure, says that the work on around 125 roads is in progress and in different stages. Along with the roads, the BBMP is also looking at the drains and footpath work.
“More than 50 per cent of our work is complete but a lot still needs to be done. While on some roads we have finished asphalting, we are yet to start work on the footpath on others. We are trying to repair both arterial and sub-arterial roads. The amount of time taken to repair a road depends on the condition of the road and also the footpath. Not much time is required if there is minor work like
levelling and painting of footpaths. If the footpath on
a particular road is broken and has to be re-constructed, it will take some time as it
has tobe done manually,” he explains.
Bangaloreans say that the road repair work is faster this time due to the general elections, which are around the corner and that once the elections are over, things will be back to where they were.
Abbe, a student, points out that some of the interior roads which face a lot of rush have been overlooked for years and need to be repaired.
“The road which connects Jakkasandra to the Inner Ring Road near the Ejipura signal faces a heavy flow of traffic in the morning and evening.
Almost everyday, there is a jam in that area and commuters are left stranded. One of the main reasons for the traffic jam here is the terrible condition of the road. Not only is it broken, the drains here are overflowing almost all the time,” he points out.