The wide roads and recently laid pavements are a blessing in BTM Layout 1st and 2nd stages, even though traffic congestion remains an unresolved problem. But BTM 3rd and 4th stages present a completely different picture. The roads here are narrow, uneven, and there are mounds of debris everywhere. There are even open drains in BTM Layout 4th Stage, unlike in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd other three in contrast to the earlier stages.
While BTM (Byrasandra Bommanahalli–Tavarekere–Madiwala) Layout has earned the reputation of being one of the more developed parts of the city, development has clearly been uneven across the different stages of the area.
Residents of BTM Layout 4th Stage faced a severe problem with sewage lines and storm-water drains a few months ago. “The roads were overflowing with water and it was very difficult to commute or even walk during that time,” said Suresh S. Salial, a resident of BTM Layout 4th Stage. Now, they are particularly concerned about the problem repeating during the itself since the monsoon is upon us. The residents say that water flows onto the roads from nearby apartments which have not undertaken rainwater harvesting measures and do not have a proper drainage system.
Their second biggest complaint is about roads. Though the residents of 1st and 2nd stages complain that congestion on the main road from Silk Board Junction to Jayadeva hospital flyover has been big a problem, the issue in other parts is one of roads not being maintained and they being too narrow. The junction near Vijaya Bank Layout has no signal and gets choked -a-block with traffic. What compounds the problem is that the stretch is pothole-ridden and it is virtually a cross-country drive for motorists.
“Many private buses travel on this road and it is chaotic as there is no signal. The police come if there is a crisis, but otherwise there is no one to monitor this stretch,” said Tayappa R., a resident of BTM Layout 4th Stage.
Traffic is a problem for commuters on main roads, rues Prathibha R., a resident of BTM Layout 2nd Stage. “This is particularly bad on the 15th Main Road. Garbage and debris are dumped there and the stench is unbearable. Mosquitoes are another menace,” she says.
