It’s raining chaos in Shivajinagar

By Hameed Ashraf | NT

Bengaluru: Those commuting to  Shivajinagar on a regular basis are frustrated  due to the pathetic condition of the roads. Residents of the area allege  that in many areas the  roads have become a  death trap, for motorists  as well as pedestrians.

“Before the first wave  of Covid-19 pandemic, workers dug up Chandni Chowk Road for water  and sewage pipelines as  part of the Smart City  project. Since then the  pits have been lying  open in every narrow  street threatening the  lives of commuters as  well as pedestrians,”  Noor Ahmed, a shopkeeper, told News Trail.

In 2019, the works carried out by Bengaluru  Metro Rail Corporation  Limited resulted in the  narrowing of roads.  This was followed by  various development  projects from civic bodies such as BBMP,  BWSSB and BSCL,  which are yet to be completed. The plan to revitalize the area is estimated to cost Rs 140 crore.

The market junction  got waterlogged on Monday, due to overflowing  drainage, and traffic police personnel had to intervene to ensure  smooth vehicular movement on the road.

“The roads are awful  and dusty and several officers had been diagnosed with respiratory  disorders despite them  using masks. We are in  touch with the civic contractors to expedite the  road works here as soon  as possible,” a senior officer said.

The roads around the  iconic St. Mary’s Basilica are among those dug  up and have become unsafe even for the pedestrians, and the work is  happening at a snail’s  pace. Local traders lament that the  business has already fallen and  it would take  years to recover  from their financial losses.

With too many  projects at hand  and most of the  city roads dug up  for multiple road  works, the BBMP  has decided to  first complete the  ongoing works,  before taking up new  ones.

“It’s not like we do not  want to take up new  work. But, we want to  ensure that all the ongoing road and civil works  are completed within  the stipulated time  frame and are of high  standards, so that no repair work is undertaken  for the next 10-20 years,”  a senior BBMP official  said.

According to Smart  City (BSCL) officials,  nearly 60% of the work  on the improvement of  the area has been completed so far. “Works on  footpaths and carriageways has been completed. We are working on  drains now and will  white-top the road soon  after clearing the debris  around here.”

Officials are also apprehensive about the arrival of the pre-monsoon  showers. They have to  complete the road works  and desilt the drains before that to ensure that  there is no flooding.  They have already identified flood-prone and  low-lying areas and are  working on priority to  ensure that they are  garbage-free.

“Most of the roads are  dug up or are one-ways.  Citizens are already  complaining and the  pressure on us is also increasing,” a worker said.

BBMP chief commissioner Gaurav Gupta  has said that the water  board has to complete  the drinking water supply work to each household swiftly and the  Bescom should also complete the work pertaining to the laying of 11KV  underground wire.

“Roads damaged due  to metro construction  need to be fixed immediately. Also, some localities get water-logged after receiving rains. We  are monitoring the work  closely,” he added.