BENGALURU: The newly done portion of the lane on Kanakapura Road, meant for pedestrians and cyclists, was intended to make life better for residents as the road is one of the nine in the city selected under the High Density Corridor project. Instead, it has been taken over for display of brand new cars meant to be inside showrooms, charge residents of the multiple apartments along this stretch. The road width has been reduced as a consequence thereby increasing the traffic on the roads, they point out.
Nearly three months ago, the BBMP held a meeting with the residents of Kanakapura Road and briefed them that their road would get a major makeover for the better as it figured among the nine high density corridors, said residents. Uniform carriage width and pedestrian-friendly footpaths were the main pluses, they said.
An apartment owner requesting anonymity told TNIE, "Two roads, each of 3.75 metre width, were demarcated. The extreme left corner portion of the road near the footpath was redone with cobbled tiles and made into a beautiful path meant for the public to walk and enjoy it. Instead it has been taken over by vehicles of two car showrooms presently. From Sarakki Signal (JP Nagar VIth Phase) for one km on Kanakapura Road, this is the scenario." He charged, "We now understand it was a ploy to create parking space for the cars."
Abdul Aleem, president of the Changemakers of Kanakapura Road, an umbrella organisation of resident welfare organisations of houseowners in this part of Bengaluru, alleged, "BBMP is working for the welfare of commercial organisations such as car showrooms belonging to VVIPs by reducing half of the road width. They should explain if they care about the citizens at all or they have any special interest."
He explained that residents of the numerous apartments here were finding it extremely tough to go out from their apartments as the cars are parked all over. "No one can even dream of walking on this busy, congested path," he adds.
Kesari Prasad, a resident of Maya Indraprastha Apartments, also charged, "The footpath is taken over by vehicles of two showrooms here. Our three-lane space has been converted into two-lanes now from Sarakki Signal. We were already struggling due to traffic congestion and we have just lost a portion of the road."
Parmesh G of Tata Motors, which has a showroom here, told TNIE, "If any of our vehicles are parked, I will take action and make sure it is not parked anymore."
BBMP Chief Engineer, Road Infrastructure, B S Prahlad, could not be reached despite multiple calls over two days. The local engineer said he did not have the right to interact with the media. Dr Harish Kumar, Special Commissioner, Projects, said he was not aware of the issue and sought time to give inputs on it.