For a good part of a year, the roads in Shantinagar have been nothing short of atrocious. The recent spell of rain only made matters worse, flooding the deteriorated roads.
The road behind the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) head office that is riddled with potholes, according to residents, are over 15 years old. Compounding the problems is the pipeline laying work taken up by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) here.
Slushy goop
With the work dragging on for months, sections of the road where the pipeline has been laid have not yet been restored properly.
Hurriedly covered with mere mud, they turn into slushy goop, making commuting difficult for even buses let alone for motorists.
A BMTC driver said: “The tyres get stuck in the slushy sections.” He added that pedestrians, especially senior citizens, are forced to take circuitous routes to their destinations because of the appalling conditions.
Not far away, the 4 and 5 cross roads in the same area are also plagued by similar problems.
The BWSSB took up the pipeline laying work here a few months ago. The 5 Cross has a 20-metre stretch filled with crushed stones and rocks.
A resident said that after a spell of rain, these sections get filled with water, making it difficult for motorists to driver through this stretch. “Every day we see vehicles getting stuck in the huge crater that runs along the road. There are times when we have to help by lifting the vehicles that have got stuck,” the resident said.
Residents now say that the loose stones are being washed away by the rain, making the road worse.
Said one of them, Chirag R.G.: “Car bumpers usually get damaged. Just recently, an autorickshaw with three women passengers almost overturned.”
Dumped material
The pipeline work has come to a halt on the 4 Cross and huge concrete pipes and construction material remain dumped on the footpaths for six months, residents say.
BWSSB blamed
Asked for a response, BBMP officials blamed their BWSSB counterparts.
“With the work progressing at a snail’s pace, there is not much we can do. It is only after the BWSSB completed its work, can we restore the road,” the area engineer said.
BWSSB officials, despite several attempts, remained unavailable for comment.
