After Covid, dug up roads wreck traders’ livelihood

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Agitated by the delay and continuous digging at Avenue Road, SJP Road, NR Road and surrounding areas, the hardware traders are left with no option but to shut down their business.

While Bengaluru Smart City Ltd (BSCL) says the road will be ready in a few weeks, traders say things have gone from bad to worse as recent spells of rain is not only deterring customers and clients from visiting their shops, but also forcing traders to negotiate open drains and waterlogged stretches while accessing their workplaces in the streets of SJP road.

“Already after the pandemic situation, the business is very low. But even to run that efficiently, we need minimum infrastructure. The civil and smart city works are creating havoc,” Naveen Kumar, a hardware trader told News Trail.

BBMP records show SP Road was dug up in 2018 by BWSSB to fix underlying sewage pipes. The project was to be completed by the end of 2019, but was delayed due to various reasons. Sajjan Raj Mehta, representing traders from Avenue Road and Chickpet, s a i d t h at n o t many know that Avenue Road is an important stretch connecting north and south Bengaluru. It is also the main road connecting other commercial trade lanes in the old central business district (CBD) in the vicinity.

There are 20,000 merchants in the area with each employing at least five people, according to Karnataka Hardware and Allied Merchants’ Association (KHAMA). They claim that the area generates 42% of the state’s taxes, but the civic authorities have neglected them.

“The authorities should have started work in phased manner. Instead it has become a chaotic situation since no vehicle can go either in or out. Many of the hawkers are carrying out business on the streets as pavements have been dug-up,” Aleem Khan said.

Traders say work has been progressing at a snail’s place. “It will help if authorities from the civic and utility agencies involved come together and inspect Avenue Road at the same time. Lack of coordination has led to this situation,” Naveen said.

On Wednesday, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that repair and restoration work of pothole-riddled Bengaluru roads would be taken up on a war footing, adding that he will personally monitor the work. “I have already held a meeting in this regard and issued necessary instructions for road repair works,”