BENGALURU: Fed up with the pathetic road condition, rising number of accidents and injuries, and BBMP’s patchwork for three years, residents of Kanakagiri Layout, Ward 26, in Ramamurthy Nagar, took it upon themselves to lay a stretch of road. All they want is a smooth stretch at least till the monsoon lasts.
Over the weekend, residents pooled in resources and laid 450 metres of road next to Om Shakti Temple. They came together under the umbrella Sri Kanakagiri Nivasigala Sangha (KNS) along with Shantha Krishnamurthy Foundation, and collected over Rs 1 lakh to get jelly stones, cement and hire a road roller.
Satish Chandra, president, KNS, told The New Indian Express that each time a complaint was raised, BBMP would get some patchwork done. Work came to a standstill during the lockdown, and even now, COVID-19 is cited as the reason for delay in repairs.
“On Saturday, I decided to lay the road myself. To my surprise, all the neighbours joined me. We pooled in resources and started work, filling jelly stones and cement. We have completed 450 metres, and have decided not to allow any more digging till the monsoon ends,” Chandra said.
The residents said they were aware of the ongoing BWSSB works, but due to this, were unable to step out of their homes because of slush and standing water. Repeated complaints were made to BBMP, with the last two being number 73185 and 10891589. Desperation led them to raise a complaint with the Prime Minister’s Office too (No. PMOPG/E/2020/0787879).
Reacting to this, BBMP engineer Chandrashekhar said that legally, no one is allowed to repair a public road. "It can be done only in a private layout. The road was handed over to BWSSB to lay water and UGD lines as it was part of the 110 villages earlier. If they have laid the road, it will have to be dug up again. I will inspect the spot and discuss with BWSSB," he added.