Broken footpaths, pothole-punctuated roads and open drains turn school commute into daily risk in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: With the academic year beginning and monsoon rains setting in, parents are anxious about letting their children walk to nearby schools.

Anxious about broken footpaths, pothole-punctuated roads and encroached pavements, parents prefer to drop them at schools in a car or on a two-wheeler.

Residents lament the poor condition of road infrastructure around the schools despite budgets running into several thousand crores under the erstwhile Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the present five-corporation structure.

On Residency Road, dangling cables and piling wooden logs block footpaths, while uncleared garbage remains a major obstacle in several stretches across Jayanagar.

Meanwhile, on TC Palya, pavements are fully encroached, while roads in Babusapalya are darted with potholes and full of dust.

Parents said walking is no longer seen as a safe or practical option for schoolchildren.

Bellandur resident Ashok Mruthyunjaya pointed to the condition of Gear School Road where his son studies.

"Even though the school is just 800 metres away, I am afraid of sending my son to school by himself. The footpaths are encroached. Some places, the drain slab is missing,” he said. Mruthyunjaya added that the situation was similar on stretches such as Sarjapur Road, Kasavanahalli and Panathur Road.

Raja Shanmugam, President of Cooke Town Residents’ Association, said roads such as Pottery Road and Hennur Road near Lingarajapuram were no longer pedestrian friendly. “I see children walking on the roads,” he said.

Krishna Panyam, Member of Malleswaram Social, said officials had shown little urgency in completing the white-topping work on 8th Main Road connecting Yeshwantpur Circle, even though the project had remained under construction for 15 months.

“With one road under repair, the other roads are jammed. This will specially create problems for children going to schools,” he said.

Residents said many footpaths across neighbourhoods were either missing or dug up for civic works. Several stretches remain filled with uneven slabs, open drains, garbage, and parked vehicles.

During rains, waterlogging and slush make movement even more difficult for children. In many areas, potholes and damaged carriageways force pedestrians onto busy roads shared with buses, autorickshaws, and two-wheelers.

Prioritise road repair

Academician Prof BR Supreeth said the idea of children walking safely to school had steadily disappeared.

“Priority must be given for repairing these roads. Safe, continuous footpaths of adequate width must become mandatory and free from encroachments,” he said.

He also urged the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) to work with traffic police and declare a 500-metre school safety zone around every school.

Action promised

GBA Chief Commissioner M Maheshwar Rao said he would instruct all five corporation commissioners to ensure walkable footpaths around schools.

Uncleared garbage piles along a narrow footpath near Vivekananda Educational Centre in Jayanagar.

Uncleared branches obstruct a footpath outside Sacred Heart Girls’ High School on Residency Road.