That sinking feeling: Haines road caves in, makes life tough for motorists

Bangalore: Apart from usual potholes, the pedestrians and motorists using Haines Road now have to contend with a far more formidable obstacle. A few days back the stretch near the Rajakaluve caved in, leaving a huge crater.

The BBMP is yet to provide any assurance as to when it will be fixed. According to them the Rajakaluve water has loosened up the soil below the road and this has led to the cave in.

However, the residents contend that the road caved due to shoddy work. “There are so many roads in the city that are located near Rajakaluve, but nowhere else this has happened. It’s been so many days now and till now they have not been able to fix the road. The BBMP official inform that the repair work is going to take long as it is complicated,” said Mushtaq Ahmed, a resident and shop-owner in the area said.

The Haines road is a crucial link for those coming from Outer Ring Road, Banaswadi, Kamanahalli and other areas to Shivaji Nagar and other city centre areas. After the cave in, the vehicles have been diverted through another route, which often leads to traffic snarls.

Though BBMP officials have taken up repairs, it will take at least a week before the road can be opened. “The road was tarred only a few months back. The contractor has done a shoddy job and even the BBMP has inspected the place,” said Usman Khan, another shopkeeper in the area.

Improper restoration of roads and shoddy repair works by different government departments also has been blamed for the cave in. “It is so dangerous. Most of times, these roads get dug up either by BBMP, BWSSB, BESCOM or some telecom companies. They don’t repair the road properly and BBMP also doesn’t check on these things. Such cave-in on roads during peak hour can be disastrous,” said Ramesh P, a resident of Coles road.

For motorists it is a tough grind. “It has become a nightmare to travel on the stretch and everyday there is a jam of at least 45 minutes on the stretch. If only they could get the Haines stretch opened up, the traffic movement would become much easier,” said Shanti Jaykumar, a resident of Hennur.

However, BBMP is hopeful of fixing the crater at the earliest. “There is an issue with the road and it is being addressed. It got delayed because of last night’s rain, but we will have it fixed soon,” said Mayor B.S. Sathyanarayana.