Installing traffic lights at the Nettakallappa Circle at the intersection of Subbarama Chetty Road, D.V. Gundappa Road and Nagasandra Main Road, in Narasimharaja (N.R.) Colony a few months back had caused unexpected fallout. Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses from Subbarama Chetty Circle could not turn towards Nagasandra Main Road at Nettakallappa Circle as vehicles on Nagasandra Main Road waiting for the light to turn green at the Circle on the narrow road blocked their way.
Buses diverted
Route Nos. 1, 60 and 3 and their alphabetical series made some 300 trips a day between Yeshwantpur-Jayanagar, Vijayanagar-Jayanagar and Srinagar-Jayanagar and traffic police diverted these services via Dewan Madhava Rao Road, Kanakapura Road and Nittoor Srinivasa Rau Circle to join South End Road. Buses from the opposite direction, however, were allowed via the old route, Nagasandra Circle and Nettakallappa Circle.
This diversion had caused hardship to thousands of residents of N.R. Colony, Thyagarajanagar, Nagasandra Circle and surrounding areas bound for Jayanagar. Also affected were those from Vijayanagar, Srinagar, Chamarajpet and surrounding areas who commuted to N.R. Colony, Gandhi Bazar, and so on.
Thyagarajanagar resident M. Shanthala, said she had to walk about 2 km to take a bus from the Basavanagudi Police Station stop on K.R. Road.
Continual protests by residents pressured people’s representatives to raise the issue with the traffic police and BMTC officials. Though they were able to coax BMTC to introduce some services from N.R. Colony towards Jayanagar, they could hardly hold a candle to the lost 300 trips of existing services, said Mr. Satyanarayana.
A senior BMTC official told the traffic police if vehicles on Nagasandra Main Road were stopped 30 feet away from the Nettakallappa Circle, buses towards Nagasandra Circle could easily take the left turn. With the help of traffic police and people’s representatives, the official arranged a demonstration on Sunday.
‘Huge relief’
“This has come as a big relief to thousands of residents of N.R. Colony and surrounding areas as well as those visiting these areas from other parts of the city,” Basavanagudi Councillor Satyanarayana told The Hindu . The traffic light on Nagasandra Main Road needs to be shifted about 30 feet behind from its present location, he added. However, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) M.A. Saleem said vehicles bound for Nagasandra could proceed via Model House Street through Nettakallappa Circle, he said. The present arrangement will continue till an alternative is found, he added.
