BENGALURU: If potholes were not enough of an inconvenience, lack of streetlights on major roads in Bengaluru adds to the public indignation. The poles stand without lights, making navigation after sunset on stretches of Intermediate Ring Road, Sarjapur-Marathahalli Road, Main Guard Cross Road and more, a nightmare, indeed.
Without streetlights, missing potholes becomes all too easy. The problem deepens in the case of older vehicles with limited power for their headlights. While the stretch of Intermediate Ring Road from Ejipura Signal to Maruthi Infotech Centre is relatively smooth, the steep turns are made sinister with only reflective roadsigns to guide vehicles.
The stretch of Sarjapur-Marathahalli Road that hugs the boundary of Agara Lake is undoubtedly worse. Deep craters inundate the stretch, and without streetlights for guidance, vehicles often fall prey to the innumerable gashes on the road.
Keeping aside a small stretch of Main Guard Cross Road – which lacks even lamp poles – the two aforementioned major roads do have light poles, and only a paltry number of them are in working order, especially towards the start and end points of the stretches. The majority of the stretches remain in dark.
While a Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) engineer in-charge of Sarjapur-Marathahalli Road claimed that he would send technicians to address the issue, darkness remains.
Another GBA engineer, who oversees Intermediate Ring Road, alleged that light poles were removed due to a road-widening project, but the lampless light poles are there for you.
Vehicular traffic, of course, is not the only concern. Unlit roads make even pedestrian movement a hazard, especially for women. Sonia Singh, a local resident, says, “As a woman it is distressing to be using streets that run up to 2 km and not have any street lights across those lengths. Leisurely walks aside, I am forced to take those routes nonetheless because of work and errands.”