It has been a constant struggle for both commuters on Suranjan Das Road as the road is in bad shape for sometime now. The road widening work between Old Airport Road and Old Madras Road which started in July last was expected to be completed within 10 months. The project undertaken by the BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) was to convert the 3.85km stretch into a four-lane 18.5m-wide stretch.
Srikala Naidu, a resident says, “This work has been going on for more than a year. The dangerous trenches and uneven roads are causing a lot of inconvenience to the commuters and the pollution levels have gone up drastically. To make matters worse, there are no street lights on one stretch which makes it very unsafe for people to walk here. ”
Other than the deplorable condition of the road leading towards the BEML junction, which is filled with potholes, there are no pavements making it perilous for the pedestrians. Many public sector companies like HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited), BEML (Bharat Earth Movers Limited), GTRE (Gas Turbine Research Establishment), ADE (Aeronautical Development Establishment) and other defence establishments are also located in the vicinity. This also serves as a connecting road to Bagmane Tech Park which is home to many IT companies and hence, contributing to the traffic pile-up near the BEML junction, a four way intersection, especially during the peak hours.
One of the BEML employees, Naveen S, says,“It gets very crowded during the peak hours since nearly 20-30 BMTC buses stop at the HAL bus stop for picking up and dropping the employees. And since the road is filled with potholes, the buses move at a snail’s pace.”
When City Express spoke to New Thippasandra ward corporator Sumithra, she said that the shifting of water pipes and power cables delayed the work as there was no clarity over who will fund the project. “We weren’t sure if the BBMP, BESCOM or BWSSB have to fund the project. There was a delay owing to this confusion. The work should finish in another six months. An additional grant of `2.5 crore has been recently approved for the same.”