Compared to other road users, pedestrians account for the highest number of accident victims in Bangalore. But the authorities not only remain indifferent to their plight but also appear to be making the task of walking on the roads an Olympian obstacle course.
A classic example is a stretch of Netaji Road in Fraser Town, which does not even have a pavement. Here pedestrians have to contend with BWSSB pipes dumped on the roadside, making them even more vulnerable to accidents.
Though the pipes, which have been lying at the spot for several months now, are on the edge of the road, pedestrians walking on the narrow stretch have to always watch out for vehicles whizzing past them.
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“It is only a miracle that a fatal accident has not taken place here so far,” said Manohar, who has to walk the road to reach his workplace in the area. Several people, including women and children, are vulnerable to the threat of being mowed down, he observed.
Sarvanam, who also works in an apartment building in the area, said that the pipes have now begun to serve as garbage dump for people in the vicinity. Residents and shopkeepers have found it convenient to dispose of their waste in these pipes on the sly, he complained.
Balu, a traffic constable of Fraser Town police station, said that the matter has been brought to the notice of the BWSSB, which had initially dumped the pipes there to lay them in a nearby lane.
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But as the work was delayed, it simply let these gigantic pipes lie on the road despite complaints that they are a public hazard. BWSSB officials, when contacted by The Hindu , said that the pipes may have been dumped there by the contractor concerned. “I don’t have full details. But we will check it out,” they said.