BENGALURU: Once again, the apathy of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has put citizens’ lives at risk. A 38-year-old software developer Amit Sharma, a resident of Whitefield, fell victim to the poor condition of Doddakere-Kadubeesanahalli Road in Bellandur, when he slipped and fractured his wrist.
The incident occurred around 8.30pm on Friday when Sharma tried to manoeuvre his bike. “The whole road is in a shoddy state. Only two feet of the road on one side are tarred while the rest is in a bad state. I was riding on the gravel road and wanted to move to the tarred side, when my bike skidded and I fell,” said Sharma, who fractured a wrist and suffered multiple bruises.
When people came to his help, there was a thud again. He saw that another biker had fallen followed by two more in quick succession on the same stretch. “It was horrifying to see three bikers fall after me. They too suffered injuries. If in a day four people can fall and suffer injuries, then the road is a threat to every commuter,” Sharma added.
Sharma was taken to a nearby private hospital, where the doctor told him that he needed to rest for six weeks. If his wrist did not heal in six weeks, he will have to go for a surgery. Speaking to The New Indian Express, Mayor Gangambike Mallikarjun said, “I will ask the engineers about the bad state of the road, and will tell them to make it motorable for the commuters immediately. The person who has met with the accident can come to me and I will pay all his bills through the Mayor’s grant.”
On May 19, Bellandur Development Forum (BDF) which comprises 100 resident welfare associations, sent a mail to the BBMP Commissioner and other officials complaining about lack of basic amenities in Bellandur. “The Kasavanahalli, Harlur, Sarjapur and Doddakere-Kadubeesanahalli road in Bellandur are in a shambles. We have complained multiple times to all the departments, but nothing has been done. In January, there were two deaths because of lack of pedestrian infrastructure, and 4 to 6 deaths in September, 2018,” said Vishnu Prasad, a member of BDF.When TNIE tried reaching out to BBMP officials multiple times, there was no answer.