BENGALURU : With no streetlights on a 6-km stretch of the Jigani-Bommasandra Link Road, motorists are facing a tough time commuting during the night. Residents of surrounding areas, who use this road every day, have repeatedly raised the issue with the authorities concerned, but they allege that nothing has been done. Manjunath S Achar, a resident of Mastenahalli, said the road is a hub of several multi-national companies and thousands of employees have to use this road.
“The Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB), which has developed the area, had installed streetlights. However, they are not working since January. Earlier too, they were not working and they were rectified at a cost of around Rs 50 lakh in January. The street was lit up for a month and it has turned dark again,” Achar rued.
Robberies are said to have become rampant on this stretch as miscreants take advantage of the dark. “As workers use this road in the night, they have become easy targets to miscreants. Many have lost their mobile phones and other valuables to robbers. I have written to the KIADB several times raising the issue, but there is no positive response,” he added.
Sampath Mateti, a resident of a gated community in Bommasandra, said the dark stretch is a threat to the safety of women. “As there are several companies along the road working round the clock, women employees working in night shifts are also facing a problem. Hence, the KIADB should take the issue seriously and fix it at the earliest, as it involves the safety of women.”
Accidents are another nightmare that commuters fear. “Heavy vehicles including trailers take this road in the nights. As there are no lights, commuters, especially bikers, find it very difficult to use this link road. During rains, it is much more dangerous,” said Lakshminarayan, a resident of Hennagara. Fed up with the lackadaisical attitude of the KIADB, the residents have also approached the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority seeking relief.