BANGALORE: Perhaps the most glaring and biggest problem of Chikkalasandra ward is its roads, or rather the absence of it. Owing to the changes made by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Pallike (BBMP) officials in the ward, many areas of the ward now find themselves put into other wards. As a result, this has affected the development work badly.
The biggest example would be the utterly poor state of the Chikkalasandra main road which falls bang in the middle of two wards now; and hence is being attended to by neither. The main road is a nightmare to navigate through due to the presence of potholes and drains which cave in the middle of the road and do so with alarming frequency as well. Another urgent requirement of the ward is the need for a traffic signal and a bus stand at the Sani Mahatma Temple Junction which is the site of frequent traffic snarls because of the huge vehicular movement. Buses just stop at the junction as there is no designated stand and this adds to the mayhem.
Babu, a resident living near the main road laments that things are pretty much the same here when compared to how they were 20 years ago. Showing the road he said, “You can see for yourself, what is the point of me saying it, besides the streetlights don’t work here either. We change the DP switches ourselves as and when required, but they still don’t seem to work.” The ward area when compared to other wards is relatively small, but the road woes follow you everywhere you go. Road work in Hanumagirinagar, another area in the ward, was recently started, but this road does not even last a kilometer and winds down into a dirt path.
“This road was made about a year back. Thankfully the water flooding has finally stopped. But there still is no garbage collection on this road. The surroundings are also never swept,” said Krishnamurthy, a resident of Hanumagirinagar.
Vinay Kashyap, another resident said, “The roads are poorly maintained. This has led to poor connectivity as bus services are irregular, and so is the water supply.” The Raja Kaluve, or main Storm Water Drain (SWD), is perhaps the best thing to happen to Chikkalasandra, since many people agreed that it has done away with the flooding problems that the ward experienced until a few years ago. The drain is well maintained and cleaning work is taken up on a regular basis to keep it unblocked. This drain takes away excess water during monsoons which would otherwise flood many low lying areas in the ward.
The corporator, Venkataswamy Naidu informed, that a budget of `2 crore has been sanctioned for development projects in his ward, when asked about the poor state of roads, he replied “Sanitary lines are being replaced now, once that is over the road work will begin, otherwise they will have to be dug up again.” Also planned for Chikkalasandra is a proper approach road from the Ring Road, funds for which have already been approved.