Pavement to pile of rubble... in a matter of hours!

Y. Maheswara Reddy | NT

Bengaluru: It is not even six months since the Bengaluru Smart City Limited (BSCL) upgraded the footpath on Infantry Road aka Bhagwan Mahaveer Jain Road. Not just on one side of the road, but both sides!

But that didn’t last. Not in a Bengaluru where civic agencies work at cross-purposes and the citizen pays the price! On Thursday afternoon, pedestrians found they had to pick their way through a stretch that until Thursday noon, had been a smooth pathway, right outside Embassy Square. Today, there’s a rubble strewn gaping hole right in the middle of the pavement.

A Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) contractor had dug up a portion of the footpath and conveniently left without restoring it - as they have done at countless spots across the city. Infantry Road was back to its old avatar as ‘pothole corner’. “What is the use of spending all this money for the upgradation and development of the footpath if it is dug up a few months later?” asked Ramana Murthy, one of the many who frequent that stretch.

“Clearly, there is no coordination between BSCL engineers and BWSSB engineers. They should have proper coordination to maintain and restore the footpaths even if its dug up to fix a water leak,’’ says Ramana Murthy, another enraged pedestrian.

Krishne Gowda S, another pedestrian, chimed in: “I am not opposing the BWSSB contractor digging the footpath to fix the water leakage problem but it is his responsibility to restore the footpath after he’s done.”’

Hanging and abandoned cables are the other menace on the same footpath that is not being tackled. Unwary pedestrians are at risk of falling, due to the rolls of unused fibre cables lying on the footpath.

“The BBMP authorities had announced they would clear all hanging cables in the city but have done nothing. Its a nuisance for pedestrians,’’ said Sujatha S.

A BSCL assistant executive engineer, reached for comment justified the work saying the footpath was dug to fix the water leak and assured News Trail: “I will direct the contractor to restore the footpath that was dug up. We are holding meetings with the BWSSB authorities for better coordination.”