BANGALORE: Two of three pedestrian subways at the busy KR Circle, built and inaugurated amid much fanfare, remain always shut.
As complaints poured in, City Express visited the junction and found that two of the three subways—near Reserve Bank of India and in front of MS Building— were closed.
BBMP officials said the subways were locked only after 7.30 pm. However, pedestrians and commuters say they remain closed most of the time.
Since the junction witnesses heavy traffic, which reaches its peak in the evenings, locking of the subways defeats their very purpose.
"I brought my elderly mother to St Martha's Hospital for a check-up. It is next to impossible to cross the junction with her, as traffic speeds from all directions," said Devaraj Gowda, a native of Mandya.
Also, pedestrians have to wait for at least five minutes to cross the road. M Lokesh, who works at MS Building, said the situation turns worse in the evenings.
"In the morning and afternoon it is relatively easy to cross the junction, though one has to wait. However, in the evening there is heavy traffic and a large number of office-goers crowd the nearby bus stand," he said.
When contacted, BBMP chief engineer (Bangalore East) B S Prasad claimed he was not aware of the issue. "I did not know about this at all. I will ask the assistant executive engineer to visit the subways, and ensure that they remain open till 7.30 pm," he added.
He said "unlawful activities" take place in subways after dark, and so they may have been closed. When asked if they are closed particularly in the monsoon for fear of floods, Prasad answered in the negative. "Drainage systems are in place to ensure that rain water flows out. In fact, a subway was closed for a short period recently as there were complaints that rain water was flooding the place. This was rectified soon," he added.