Chickpet biz hub a civic blackhole

Bengaluru: Chickpet is one of the bustling business areas in the city, but the area’s infrastructure is blighted by acute civic neglect. Potholed roads and overflowing drains are ubiquitous and people complain that officials hardly pay heed to their complaints.

Take B.V.K. Iyengar Road for instance. The road provides crucial connectivity between K.R. Market and Majestic. But to drive on this road you need exceptional skills, said Manjunath, a trader

“For the thousands of shops in and around Chickpet, B.V.K. Iyengar Road is the point where the goods are loaded and unloaded. It has been the case for many years. But when it rains the road gets flooded as the adjoining drains are filled with silt and garbage. The road turns into a mini stream even during a minor drizzle,” he remarked.

As the roads are filled with potholes, during heavy rains many two wheelers and autos get stuck in potholes, as when roads get inundated the motorists unknowingly fall into it, Mr Manjunath said.

The median of the road is also damaged. In these narrow roads, jay walking is another major issue, he said.

“The plight of pedestrians is also miserable. They have to be very careful, as even a slight misstep could land them into the drain. Some of the slabs are so weak that if someone steps on them with force they break away,” said Supreetha, a regular visitor to the area.

Officials boast of having gifted Metro station to Chickpet area. How will we be able to use metro facilities if the footpaths and roads leading to the metro station are broken? Another menace is that of encroachment of footpaths by traders and street vendors. So how are the people supposed to use metro facilities? We have no option but to pay for the greed of the auto drivers and reach our destinations, she questioned.

Further, the area is dotted with numerous garbage pile-ups, which can be found every 50 to 100 metres. The major cause is indiscriminate dumping of packaging materials.

Traders have been repeatedly urging the BBMP to collect garbage twice in the area, but the Palike has so far not implemented it.They had also demanded that BBMP set up urinals, as there are hardly any urinals and toilets for the whole area.City Mayor Gangambike and Chickpet MLA Uday Garudachar were not available for comments.