MCC's apathy leads to traffic woes on Pulikeshi Road

Close to 40 electric poles, encroachment on footpath and surge in vehicular traffic — especially heavy vehicles — on this road has made it a dangerous stretch.

Thanks to the alleged apathy of Mysore City Corporation (MCC) that is posing danger in the form of electric poles.

Pulikeshi Road, situated near Central Prisons Mysore, off Ashoka Road, was widened a few years back to facilitate smooth flow of traffic. The 2.3-km-long road was widened to 10 feet and the footpath was reduced by two to three feet.

So, about 35 to 40 iron electric poles (called Rail Pole earlier, for the use of the same quality steel used for laying railway tracks and also considered heritage pieces), which were installed on the footpath occupied the right side of the road (from Ashoka Road side), lurking danger.

Hitting against a iron pole could be fatal compared to the poles made of cement and other metals as seen now.

The issue was raised during the monthly police public grievances meet held at N R Traffic police station on November 23, 2013, with local residents exhorting the shifting of the power line in view of public safety. The police authorities also wrote a letter to the MCC and the authorities concerned at Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (Cesc) Limited. But, the issue remains to be addressed since nine months.

When Deccan Herald spoke to the jurisdictional police personnel, they pointed out that the stretch has turned into a chock-a-block in recent years, with ‘gujaris’ (scrap yards) located in large numbers in the surroundings.

More than two-wheelers and pedestrians, trucks coming from outside the city, take the same road for both entry and exit, as the road is close to the Mysore-Bangalore highway. Rampant encroachment on the footpath and the complete absence of a pedestrian way at places with heaps of waste occupying the footpath makes the situation worse. Hence, even pedestrians vie for space with vehicle users on this road.

Assistant Executive Engineer, N R Mohalla sub-division, Cesc, Shankar said, “The issue is being discussed at the top level. However, it will take sometime as the existing power line needs 50 poles for shifting. It is one of the main lines connecting to two feeders — catering to both domestic and commercial segments — under the sub-division”.

However, the engineer had no information if the MCC had borne the cost of shifting the power line, at the time of widening the stretch. As is the rule, civic agencies should bear the shifting cost or is entitled to shift the lines on its own by paying 10 per cent of the supervisory charges to Cesc.