BANGALURU : Residents of Sarjapur Road and Outer Ring Road neighborhoods gathered in large numbers at the Ibblur Flyover Junction to protest against the poor quality roads, daily traffic jams and rising pollution in the area due to the slow-moving traffic.
Rishika Kumar, a student of Indus International School, who was participating in the protest, said, “Half our life is spent on the school bus. My school is around 4 km from my house, but even if we start an hour earlier, at times we reach late to the school.”
Protesters wearing red and orange T-Shirts, waved anti-government placards and shouted slogans against the apathy of the government towards their woes. They said that despite exponential growth of residential apartments in the area, adequate civic amenities have not been provided with.
Daina Emanuel, a resident of Sun City Apartments, said, “To reach my house from Eco-Park, which is nearby, takes around one hour. Three times in four months the authorities have filled up the same pothole, but in a matter of a week, the newly-laid tarmac disappears.”
The protesters said that even people at offices discuss about the traffic instead of work. People from all walks of society from workers, auto drivers, village residents, school students and corporate employees complained about the traffic situation in the area and the ever- worsening condition of the roads.
To mark the protest, residents also took to filling the potholes on their own so that the respective departments could learn how to carry on with their task.
Veerabadra, a driver who resides at Uttarahalli and commutes to Bellandur where his employers live, said that he spends two hours in the morning and up to four hours in the evening to commute to work and back home.
“Every signal like the ones at Ecospace, Ibblur, Agara, HSR, Silk Board is jammed during peak hours. Schoolkids have difficulty reaching their school on time and at times even patients pass out in the ambulances before it reaches the hospital,” Veerabadra said.
Residents said that the frequency of public transport services is also poor in the locality. There exists a rail network in a large part of the city, but the government has done nothing to make it work. It is a quick and cheap mode of transportation if made operational, added the residents.
Sameer Sishodia, a resident, said, “The Carmelram train station is just a few minutes away from our area, frequent commuter train services to Whitefield side can reduce the pressure on the ORR to a great extent.”
A senior citizen in the area said that the IT majors are already opting for Hyderabad as a preferred destination as people waste long hours in commuting to work.