BENGALURU: Even as the BBMP claims that only 10% of white-topping work remains near the Chickpet Metro station, residents, traders and daily commuters said the disruption continues to be as bad as when the work first began.
The stretch - where the work is pending - is at a junction near the Metro, where thousands of people and vehicles pass through per hour, and the incomplete work and barricades are choking traffic in the area. People in the locality lament that if continuous rains begin before the work is resumed, the situation could worsen drastically with flooding and poor road conditions adding to the chaos. Traders around the Metro station said their businesses have already taken a hit due to reduced footfall and the BBMP is delaying in completing the last leg of work in scant regard to the area’s commercial importance and traffic density.
“For someone like me who travels on this route every day to go to my college, it has become a nightmare,” said Aakash. “Earlier, it would take just 5 to 7 minutes to cross this circle. Now, because of the road work, I get stuck for 15 to 20 minutes every day. While returning, no autos want to drop here because of ongoing work.”
While a BBMP engineer claimed that the recent rainfall has delayed the work, local traders said poor planning and lack of coordination are the actual reasons.
Shopkeepers along the stretch said their businesses have been hit hard as customers are avoiding the area due to poor road access. “Because of this stretch, vehicles can’t come near my shop at all. Earlier, we would get walk-ins throughout the day. Now, hardly anyone stops by,” Prakash M, who runs an eatery, said, lamenting that for the BBMP just 10% of the work is remaining, but for the traders, it’s affecting their daily income.
Traders said the work is being carried out in a disorganised way, with long gaps in between. “They dug up the area in front of my shop almost two weeks ago, started the work, and then disappeared without finishing it. For about 10 to 15 days, nothing happened. Then suddenly, they came back and resumed it,” said Syed Jameel, who runs a small hardware store.