Do you call this a road?

Bangalore: The Shivaganga Layout Road in Mahadevpura’s Maheshwarinagar is the kind of road that makes commuters wonder if it can be called a road, and why they pay road and other civic taxes. A stretch of one-and-a-half kilometres is in very bad shape and has been in this state for close to two years now, claim residents of the area.

The road is a pile of hardened mud. The asphalt has long worn away, leaving huge potholes and craters that are as deep as half a foot. It’s a nightmare when it rains. The road becomes a slushy mess in which vehicles get struck, or skid, and two-wheelers overbalance. This is a main road that connects the Outer Ring Road to the prime areas of the IT corridor like Ma­hade­vapura, Garudacharpalya and Whitefield. 

There is a heavy flow of vehicles on the road especially during peak hours. The traffic moves at snail’s pace because no vehicle can travel at more than 10 kmph given the pathetic condition of the road. Every day at least two to three minor accidents occur here.

“A couple of days ago, a lady on a bike with two kids fell from her bike as she couldn’t control it riding through the rough patch. I helped her with some first aid and sent all of them to a local clinic,” said Ramachandriah, who works as an HR assistant with a private company and lives in the neighbourhood.

When the main ITPL Road gets blocked during peak traffic hours, most IT cabs and private vehicles depend on this route to reach the Outer Ring Road, and the traffic flow increases. Even heavy vehicles ply on this road which is in a primarily residential neighbourhood.

According to residents, Shivaganga Layout Road was in a good shape a year-and-a-half ago. As the area and its surroundings were developing, BWSSB started laying sewage lines and water supply lines in the area, for which the entire stretch was dug up. Once the pipes were laid, the civic authorities simply abandoned the road.

The neglected road throws up so much dust that people living in the vicinity have to keep their windows shut most of the time. Residents have brought the issue to the notice of their corporator several times, but every time she visits the place, she gives some excuse or other, claim the residents.

When Deccan Chronicle spoke to the corporator of the area, Geetha Vivekananda, she said that nothing can be done until the funds come in. BBMP is already cash- strapped and no contractor is willing to take up work. She said BWSSB has just completed sanitation work and supplying water to the area from the Cauvery project as this is a new ward.

“The authority took very long to finish the project and only recently the area got Cauvery water supply. But to mend the dug up roads, the corporation needs funds,” she said.