BENGALURU: Piles of garbage in the middle of the road, potholes all along the stretch and the ever present stench is what the residents staying around Lake Road near Axa Signal, just opposite Madiwala Lake, have to suffer from.
These conditions have remained the same for the last one year, with no respite in sight for the residents. The locality is surrounded by eateries and paying guest accommodations, mostly occupied by students. The residents complain that the stench from uncleared garbage is unbearable.
“BWSSB lorries go up and down the road and water spilling from these tankers inundates the street. Hardly anything has been done to control the menace. The road has been in a terrible state for the last so many months and small potholes have turned into big craters after the onset of monsoon,” says Priyaranjan Singhania, who stays in one of the PG accommodations in the area.
He complains that since the lake is not fenced, the periphery of the waterbody is being used as a garbage dump yard. “You can see fishermen in the lake, and I suspect it to be one of the reasons for the fence being broken. Today, anybody can throw the garbage at the side of the lake,” he adds.
Motorists, especially two wheeler riders, put their lives at risk passing through the pothole-filled stretch. At places, garbage is dumped in the middle of the road, but the authorities have failed to clear them. “The residents too are to blame for using the road as a dumping ground,” he says.
Mr Srinivas, who works as a PG caretaker, says the street is flooded most of the time. “I have to be really careful while carrying food on my bike to the PG inmates. I am always scared of riding into one of the potholes and falling on the road. I will not only lose food for 25 students, but will also suffer major injuries,” he says.
Adding to the list of grievances, he says, “Garbage is a big nuisance for many of us. The BBMP clears the garbage regularly, but as it is not done efficiently, you can see piles left behind at many places.”
One of the residents points to encroachments on footpaths, and complains that civic authorities have failed to evict them.
Mr Shivram, a senior citizen, says, “We see construction material and garbage dumped on the road, but looks like the BBMP has failed to see them. Why can’t they fine residents and eateries for throwing garbage in the middle of the road and duping construction material on footpaths?”
A proposal has been sent to install cameras
Q&A with BBMP health inspector Shadab Haider
Garbage is not cleared on Lake Road. What are you doing about it?
We get the garbage cleared every day. Nobody is expected to dump garbage on the road, and residents are expected to segregate the garbage. We have penalised PG owners who used to dump garbage and we will certainly do this if anyone is found doing it.
Can CCTV cameras be installed to curb dumping of garbage in the middle of the road?
Yes, already a proposal has been sent and we will soon install cameras in the locality, so that a proper check can be kept on the miscreants.
Stagnant water in potholes has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Is it not a major health risk?
Of course it is, and we regularly spray chemicals to contain the mosquito menace. Repairing and laying the road do not come under my department, but we are trying hard to stop stagnant puddles of water from turning into mosquito breeding grounds.
