BENGALURU: When political leaders come visiting, citizens are put through inconveniences such as traffic jams and diverted routes. But, residents of JP Nagar 7th Phase are furious that their recently asphalted main road was dug up to install flex boards conveying Maha Shivaratri wishes from a party leader.
The road had been asphalted a month ago after another political party had dug it up, again to place a flex to announce an event.The ward corporator’s office claims that they tried to stop the placement of flexes this time, but the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Pallike officials asked them to take their complaints to higher authorities.
Says Karthik S, who lives near Kothanur Main Road, “This road was first dug up a few months ago, to place flexes that announced BJP’s Parivarthana Yathra. Then a month ago, they relaid it. Then a few days ago, Congress workers came and dug up the road to place a flex with festival wishes from one of their leaders”.
On Wednesday morning, the boards had been removed but the pits had been patched up hastily with mud. From one of the pits, even a small bit of the pole remains, which puts pedestrians at risk of tripping over it. “Who can I ask to fix the road now?” asks Karthik.
He says that the BBMP officials are well aware of what is going on. “I protested when they were installing the flex boards, but the people employed said that they have been given permission by BBMP”.
The corporator Lalitha N in this ward is from BJP. A spokesperson from the corporator’s office, when contacted by City Express, said that they had raised objection when the flex was being placed. “But they are from Congress and they will start a fight if we insist,” he said. “They told us that they got permission from the BBMP officials for this. We checked with the officials, and they asked us to register a complaint with the BBMP Commissioner N Manjunatha Prasad”.