Civic agencies wrecking Jayanagar

Sixty-year-old Rajashri Gopal, who has lived in Jayanagar for four decades, lost her balance when she was trying to step around the massive pipes placed on the footpath near Cool Joint in 4th Block. For three months, she has remained bedridden with a hip fracture.

Rajashri’s is not a stray case. Those regularly visiting the Jayanagar Shopping Complex area and living in its vicinity encounter hurdles at every step, thanks to dug-up, uneven and barricaded footpaths and huge pipes being dumped on the roads.

Rajashri’s daughter Divya, also a resident of Jayanagar, says the pipes were dumped four months ago. “There’s no work in progress and pedestrians are forced to walk on the road at the risk of being hit by speeding vehicles. Looks like the powers-that-be don’t value human life,” she told Metrolife during a reality check.

These pipes take up a large stretch of space on the road. Near Janatha Bazaar in Jayanagar, large metal sheets cut off an entire stretch of footpath, ostensibly to enable the construction of the vegetable market. The BBMP, which penalises private individuals who use the footpath for construction material and debris,
is completely blind to this blatant violation.

“Where do we walk?” says Lakshmi Dhananjaya. “We have no footpath and the authorities say the rains are delaying work. Why can’t they start work after the rains so that ordinary people are not inconvenienced?”

Speeding vehicles are a cause of concern, says Lalitha Anand, homemaker and resident of Jayanagar. “We are forced to walk on the roads and they have become narrow because the pipes occupy a lot of space,” she says. Businesses say their collections have been hit by up to 40 per cent. Vijay Krishna Padukone, owner of Sree Sagar, near Jayanagar 4th Block, says, “Our business has dropped. People think twice before coming here because they have so many hurdles to cross, with no footpath and huge pipes dumped in front of our restaurant.”

Ashwini Vinod is six months pregnant and dreads to walk on the footpath. “I don’t know when I will lose my balance and step on to a loosely placed stone. I am also scared to travel on the roads here because of their poor condition. The crater-like potholes are a death trap,” she says.   

Complex problems

The mismanagement of the complex, once a proud landmark in Bengaluru, is there for all to see. Unauthorised vendors rule pedestrian spaces, structures have come up on corridors, and now contractors are blocking off spaces meant for pedestrians.

MLA ‘not aware of dumped pipes ’

Jayanagar MLA Sowmya Reddy blames the BJP government for the delay in completing public works in her constituency. She told Metrolife that of the funds allocated towards the development of the Jayanagar Shopping Complex, Rs 25 crore was cut after the Yediyurappa government came to power. “Most of the work in Jayanagar, including the development of pedestrian paths, has been stopped because of paucity of funds. This is petty politics at play,” Sowmya says. She says she is not aware of pipes being dumped on roads and footpaths. “I will make sure they are removed at the earliest,” she told Metrolife.  

Will have it removed: BBMP commissioner ANIL Kumar

BBMP Commissioner B H Anil Kumar said he was not aware of sheets cordoning off a huge footpath stretch near Janatha Bazaar. With no footpath, pedestrians are forced to walk on the road, and the speeding traffic is a risk to life and limb. 

“I am not aware. If it is so, it will be removed immediately. No construction activity should hinder pedestrian movement,” he says. The Jayanagar shopping complex is being rebuilt by the BBMP and the BDA.

“Of three blocks, the first is ready and some shopkeepers have been shifted there. The other two are in the process of being completed,” he says.