It's literally a backbreaking ride through Vijayanagar

For Vijayanagar’s residents, driving their vehicles through the area, including the main roads, is a “traumatic experience”. The feeling is shared by their counterparts in Chandra Layout, Nagarbhavi and Sunkadakatte.

Most of the interior roads give the motorists a backache. Thimme Gowda, an Ayurvedic medical shop owner on Govindarajnagar Main Road, sums up the current status of roads in the west division of the City, saying they are potholed all over and can give road-users dust allergies.

Radio artiste Raghavendra Udupi says: “The pathetic road condition can be attributed to the political rivalry between local leaders - Housing Minister V Somanna and Vijayanagar MLA Krishnappa”. Most roads in Vijayanagar, Chandra Layout and Nagarbhavi were in good condition until a few years ago, he said. 

“Road development took a backseat once the two leaders became rivals. Either of them neglects the development of areas where people voted against them. The rivalry intensified after Priya Krishna defeated Somanna in a bypoll to Govindarajnagar constituency. Hence, roads are in a pathetic state in some areas, while pavements are neglected in some others”.

The three-kilometre stretch, connecting Mysore Road and Magadi Road, on West of Chord Road is one of the worst stretches in the City. The stretch has been dug up at many places, while the asphalt has disappeared at others. There are several potholes and damaged portions of roads, thanks to the Metro rail work (Reach-2) which is going on at snail’s pace. “We will have to bear with it. We are told that things will continue to remain the same for at least another six months. Of all the road users, the fate of BMTC drivers is the worst. We drive buses where there is hardly any road on this stretch. The half-a-kilometre stretch on Service Road - between Gayatri Nursing Home and Magadi Road underpass - is probably the worst part. The stretch connecting Mysore Road to Attiguppe on Chord Road is also in a deplorable state,” Rajendra, a driver on route number 61 A told Deccan Herald.

Another stretch which is in a pathetic state is Govindarajnagar main road. Tar has disappeared on much of this stretch. Potholes on the road connecting to Marenahalli (near Cordial School) and roads in Prashanthnagar are a hell of an experience for motorists. Recently, BBMP laid drainage pipes at two places on a half-a-kilometre stretch between Marenahalli and Govindarajnagar main road. Both these places are a nightmare for road-users as the cement covering on the pipes is one-foot high. 

The reasonably good condition of the road became worse over a period of time, say a few residents of M C Layout. The one-kilometre stretch on the Kalyan Nagar second main road is another such example. BBMP took up asphalting of the stretch 10 months ago.

Two workers were killed after a compound wall collapsed on them when they were repairing the drains. The asphalting was stalled since then. There are several pits, potholes on the muddy stretch, said R R Patil, a hotelier.

A few roads opposite BDA Layout need immediate attention. The biggest concern here, according to Yadunanda, a government college lecturer, are the unscientific road humps.

“You will come across six humps on the one-kilometre stretch. Some of the humps were removed making it worse. The corporators say humps are required as some roads in the area have a slope,” he said. 

BBMP and Bescom have also worsened the condition of recently-constructed roads. They dug up the roads for their work and never bothered to cover them, creating potholes. The situation is no different in Pantharapalya, Pipeline Road, Saraswathinagar and Sunkadakatte.