BANGALORE: First a popular construction company in the city took responsibility for the stretch and abandoned it, then the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) took over the reigns of maintaining and it seems that they too have forgotten about it.
This stretch of land between Shanti Sagar Hotel to the Domlur post office, also plays host to a playground and amphitheatre which are rotting away in neglect much to the disappointment of the children in the area who are still forced to use the playground for lack of other facilities.
The playground today is filled with dust and garbage and the steps are lined with moss and piled trash and the stage and its back rooms are used by people for afternoon naps and sometimes even as a shelter for homeless people.
The lane also serves as a parking lot for vehicles and auto rickshaw drivers who wish to take their afternoon siesta under the shade of trees. Perpetually filled with parked cars, even the playground has been denied access, as one has to indulge in some fancy footwork dodging haphazardly parked cars and the occasional auto to reach the gate.
A group of kids from a nearby school still brave all these conditions to go and play in the ground. “Where else can we go. This is right opposite our school,” said Ashwin who along with his friends was engaged in a hearty game of cricket bang in the middle of the garbage strewn ground.
“They should atleast keep the ground clean, the dust makes it very tough for us to play for longer than an hour. It’s worse on windy days,” added Nikitha, another student.
A BBMP official on condition of anonymity said, “We are not going to invest any money in that stretch. A proposal has been made to the Commissioner to give it to another private company who will sponsor maintenance.” He added that the previous contract with the construction company regarding maintenance of the stretch was negated about 3-4 months back, after repeated complaints that the company was not doing anything to preserve the beauty of the stretch.
The local corporator Geetha S Reddy was unavailable for comment.