Bengaluru's Lazar Road sinks deeper into disrepair

Bengaluru: Once a peaceful, low-traffic stretch, Lazar Road has turned into a nightmare for residents and commuters after being dug up and left unrepaired.

The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) had laid new water and sewage pipelines, but left the road in disarray. Despite repeated complaints and promises of white-topping and new footpaths, no work has resumed.

Anush, an auto driver and local resident, said, “They dug it up a while ago and said it would be just a few days’ work. It has been months now, and we can’t even drive over 30 kmph because of how bad the road is.”

The stretch connects Lingarajapuram, Pulakeshinagar, Commercial Street and Halasuru. The one-way road funnels into a narrow railway underpass and intersects two other routes, causing traffic snarls. With potholes, garbage and no proper footpaths, congestion worsens during peak hours, forcing pedestrians onto the road.

Venkatraja, another auto driver, described the road as “hell on earth”. He said, “I cannot avoid this road because I live here, but if I go out during peak hours, I end up stuck for at least an hour.”

Residents also complain of garbage piling up and spreading foul smell. “Many people throw garbage on the roadside, and now there are blackspots near the underpass. With the rains, it rots and creates a terrible stench,” said a local resident.

Garbage dumped on Lazar Road raises hygiene concerns and worries residents. DH PHOTO/Shraddha AK

Another resident from Lazar Layout added that some persons discard carcasses wrapped in plastic, which stray dogs drag across the road.

Leo, another local, said the BWSSB had “simply abandoned” the road.

In response, a BWSSB executive engineer said, “We dug up the road to lay water and sewage lines. After completion, we handed the project over to the BBMP almost two months ago. They were supposed to lay optic fibre cables and then do the white-topping.”

He added that the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) would now handle the white-topping and that delays may be due to the BBMP’s dissolution. The GBA is currently focused on white-topping MM Road and will take up Lazar Road after that, pending permissions.

A senior Pulakeshinagar traffic officer said that despite diverting traffic towards Richards Park, congestion persists. “On the positive side, the usual bottleneck at the Lazar–Pottery–Hutchins Road intersection has eased as fewer vehicles come this way,” the officer said.