Bumpy rides punctuated with punctures!

Bengaluru: An aerial view of the Kormanagala-Ejipura wards, lying next to each other, will show the stark difference between the haves and have-nots. Though the 80 ft main road is common for both areas, the road quality on the Ejipura side is very poor.

It is a maze of bumpy rides, for anyone who wants to go in and out of Ejipura. Rohin, who recently moved into the area, said, "The problem here is that they do not tar the roads. They put cement and leave it. If I take my car, it is horrible as the roads are very narrow. With two-wheeler I can manoeuvre a bit."

However Tousif, a businessman, said poor roads were taking a toll on vehicles. "Bike tyres get punctured all the time. Your ride in these roads will be bumpy. The road dust makes two-wheelers skid, leading to minor accidents," he added.

The place is a mix of old and temporary residents, with many paying guest accommodations located here. While various companies and colleges are located in Koramangala, youngsters find its poorer sister Ejipura more affordable for rental accommodation. But while commuting to work they have to rough it out with the bad roads.

For long time residents, the worry is about the safety of children. "Our street has only independent houses, with many little kids. The roads are narrow and vehicles move at high speed, while our children are playing," said Anubha, a tailor and a mother of two children.

A resident for the past 14 years, Anubha said, "The roads have so many potholes that it is unsafe for our kids to walk to the local school by themselves. We drop and pick them up. After 5 pm, we try not to step out as it is risky."

Prakash, who has been here for five years, pointed out that roads were in bad shape due to frequent digging. “The BWSSB keeps removing and laying the pipes every few months. Sanitary and water lines are constantly replaced, for which the roads are dug up and left uncovered. We are forced to use these roads,” he said.

Anubha said in the past two years, the road quality has badly deteriorated. A man pushing his bicycle and selling his wares told Deccan Chronicle that the cycle tyres got punctured and he has to get them fixed. The residents have accepted it as their fate, and go about their daily lives without complaining.

‘Road repair will begin in a week’
Interview with Channaveeraiah, BBMP Assistant Executive Engineer,  Ejipura- Ward 148

Why are the roads in Ejipura in a bad state?
The drain works, sanitary line laying was being done by the BWSSB until now. We are investing '6 crore in this ward, from the Nagorattana scheme. We are waiting to do the tar work, but cutting cannot be done until their pipe works are done.

Residents say, the pipes are laid and removed repeatedly...
Blockages keep happening in this area. Some people break the pipes themselves to clear the blockage. This disrupts the whole line and it needs to be redone. We are coordinating with the BWSSB.

Why is the road condition so bad for two years?
Work has been going on constantly. The roads we can repair, we do. For others, we have to wait until BWSSB is done with its work. We concentrate based on necessity. Though we started work here, we had to divert funds for a couple of other wards in between and will get back to this one now.

What will be done and by when?
For the main road, BWSSB just finished the work recently. Wet mix has been used to cover some potholes. The tender process is going on for tarring the road. Both main and inroads works, will start in a week and be done before the rainy season begins.