Garbage, potholes mar greenery of RR Nagar

Naveen S | NT

Trust residents to join hands with the civic authorities at ruining a ward endowed with nature’s bounty. How else does one explain the shabby, garbage-strewn and pothole-ridden sight of RR Nagar? For a closer scrutiny by Naveen S reveals that the ward, nestled near the Bangalore University lung space off Mysore Road, has a fair number of trees and parks to contest as the place south-western Bengalureans would want to reside in while not being too far away from their workplace.

Most roads in the Rajarajeshwari Nagar ward crave for immediate attention of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) authorities, for they are dotted with potholes. Commuting on these roads is a challenging task for motorists, especially two-wheeler riders.

Potholes right at the entrance of the RR Nagar entrance at Mysore Road have been a huge problem for commuters for quite some time now, and the authorities concerned are yet to take measures to fill them up.

These potholes were filled a few days ago, but the executed job was so shoddy that the filling is slowly wearing off. That the traffic density is high on the stretch that connects to the busy Mysore Road is not the only reason for this, complain locals.

Omkaresh, a resident of RR Nagar, said that the “many” potholes here have damaged the road so much that it is “almost impossible” to commute on it. “Many times two-wheelers get damaged as they land in the potholes, hurting the riders,” he said, going on to ask, “Will the authorities pay for the damages caused by their callousness?”

A contractor engaged by the BBMP has dug up a small stretch of the road in front of the arch for some civic work and left a huge concrete block lying on the road, which is obstructing traffic. Motorists want the stone slab to be immediately removed to prevent road accidents. They blamed the BBMP authorities for not inspecting the spot and directing the contractor to remove the concrete block.

The pavement right next to the arch lies in a shambles. It is causing inconvenience to people who wait for autorickshaws near the RR Nagar auto stand. The pavement is littered with construction stones and debris. It is said that three college girls slipped and fell and got hurt while trying to get into an auto a few days ago at this spot.

A few autorickshaw drivers claimed that they pooled in money and got the pavement temporarily repaired. They say the stretch of this pavement causes more trouble during the night due to the lack of adequate street lights, especially after 8 pm. “This pavement,” an auto driver complained, “was fine in the beginning but was dug up apparently to build a bathroom, which never happened and has been in the damaged state since then.”

The drivers believe that the authorities are least bothered about the convenience of people. They themselves have planted a few saplings, so that the trees provide shade and shelter to waiting passengers in the future. Poor maintenance is causing trees planted in the road median to wither, they rue.

One crater-like pothole on a main road in Kenchenahalli in front of Rajarajeshwari Temple poses a serious threat to motorists and devotees who frequent the temple. Many times twowheelers are seen skidding into the pothole as it has been filled with sand and loose gravel. Shadows from trees in the vicinity decrease visibility on the road, making sighting of the pothole difficult. This leaves very little time to negotiate the pothole. When motorists change track suddenly, those behind them tend to rear-end their vehicle.

A shopkeeper said that she has been witness to many accidents involving two- and fourwheelers. “Only temporary patchwork is done every time, which wears off in a few days,” she added.

Damaged pavements littered with garbage.

Stone slabs on pavements here, which are part of stormwater drains, have gone missing in quite a few places. They are said to have been removed for repair works and not restored after completion of the work. This also causes great inconvenience to pedestrians.

Like that was not enough, garbage heaped on dome pavements here, especially at Kenchenahalli, are an eyesore as much as they are a “stinker”, another resident complained.

In some parts of the ward, uncovered roadside drains pose a serious danger as unsuspecting passers-by could fall into these pits and hurt themselves badly.

Vacant plots that can be spotted at many places here are used to dump garbage by residents living nearby. This avoidable practice also mars the RR Nagar ward that by and large has enough greenery with a number of trees and well-maintained parks.

Another resident complained that street lights remain on even after 10.00 in the morning, causing wastage of energy.<