Panathur, Balagere residents demand better infra

Bengaluru: Residents of Panathur and Balagere in the Mahadevapura assembly constituency staged a protest on Wednesday, drawing attention to the poor condition of roads, traffic congestion, and frequent flooding in the neighbourhood.

They urged the government not to approve new building plans until it completes the roads promised under the Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP), including the construction of a railway bridge across Balagere Road.

The protestors, mostly salaried professionals, wore T-shirts with slogans like ‘I paid taxes for roads, not for a roller coaster’, ‘#RebateTax, we will build our roads’, and ‘BDA, stop approvals until basic UGD, SWD, road connectivity is established’.

Some of their demands include the construction of the CDP road between Gunjur and New Horizon College, removal of stormwater drain encroachments, desilting of roadside drains, and asphalting of the Balagere Road and Panathur Main Road.

"Panathur S Cross has become a deadly choke point. The 150-foot-wide road, promised in the CDP, continues to be a dream sold to potential home buyers by builders, though the plan was announced in 2015. The BBMP has not approved the railway overbridge proposal, which was tendered way back in September,” a resident said.

The residents had staged a similar protest last year. While the BBMP cleared the dust almost immediately, the condition of the roads has worsened since, residents complained.