Rain forces long detour for Kasturinagar residents

By Y. Maheswara Reddy | NT

Bengaluru: Residents of Kasturinagar and Sadananda Nagar are compelled to commute more than two km to reach Old Madras Road that is situated just 500 metres away. The other option for them is to depend on cattle passage under the railway track that is known for traffic jams or water stagnation during monsoon.

The residents complain that they have to take either Outer Ring Road or the railway over bridge near the defunct New Government Electrical Factory (NGEF) to reach Old Madras Road to proceed towards Indiranagar, Kaggadasapura, Halasuru and other areas.

According to the residents, the railway authorities closed the railway crossing gate after constructing the cattle passage. “There was no difficulty for us. The only problem was we had to wait near the railway crossing gate. Now, it is not safe for us to use the cattle passage which is known for traffic jams and water logging,” said Vinod Rai, president, Kasturinagar Welfare Association.

The cattle way was full of water on Saturday and Sunday due to heavy rain. It made many motorists commute more than two kms to reach Old Madras Road and proceed towards their destinations. “We brought it to our MLA’s notice. He directed the BBMP authorities to attend to the problem. The BBMP workers took measures to drain water from the cattle passage,” Rai said. The residents have been appealing to the BBMP authorities to ensure a direct connectivity to Old Madras Road for the last 20 years but the authorities are yet to meet the residents’ demand. It is learnt that Bengaluru Central MP PC Mohan has advised the residents to organise a meeting with elected representatives and railway authorities. “We are trying to meet our MLA to fix a date for the meeting. Bengaluru Central MP PC Mohan advised us to inform him one day in advance about the meeting. We will organize the meeting as soon as our MLA gives his consent,” said Kasturinagar Welfare Association secretary N. Ramesh.

Many motorists, especially two-wheeler riders consider the cattle passage unsafe at night as there are no street lights on the stretch that connects Old Madras Road. “We have to pass another hurdle – a slum – after passing the cattle pass at night. I consider it unsafe for two-wheeler riders to commute on this stretch at night,” said Muralidhar Rao, a resident of Benniganahalli.