BANGALORE: Hennur Main Road is often envisioned as bustling with vehicles, filled with construction material due to the BDA flyover and great roads to take long drives on. But the unfortunate part of the growth is the immense deterioration that has been caused to the locality due to constant neglect from the authorities. Pothole-laden roads, open drains and empty plots turned into slums seem to be the way at Hennur. Hop, skip and jumpThe road is said to be one of the busiest in Bangalore. Be it the link road which connects all areas in this part of the city to Bangalore International Airport (BIA) or the Outer Ring Road, the Hennur Main Road is a must in the schematics of Bangalore transport. The problem with the road lies in the fact that it is filled with potholes.To make matters worse, construction material is strewn all over the place. The road turns glassy, mainly at the junction where the work on the flyover is being done. Rahul Jain, a passerby, remarked, “The BBMP must keep a constant check on the maintenance of the roads. I often reach home late due to the same. Also, it is perilous to travel through the road.”Another major dilemma is the unevenness. The road is worn out at many places. The situation is further aggravated due to the recent rains. The depth of the potholes cannot be gauged and long queues of vehicles are a common sight.What’s open, stays openThe BBMP has begun work on clearing drains and laying stone slabs in most areas in Bangalore. Work on Hennur Main Road drains began a few weeks ago. But another indifferent approach by the officials had led to the residents being left in complete misery. Open drains along most parts of the road with unbearable stench has left most commuters wish that work had never begun in the first place. In Marriappa layout, stone slabs have been left discarded in a corner. Further, rain brings with it a whole set of complications. Gutters are filled with water and the sewage water overflows on the road. Shopkeepers are unhappy with the way the authorities have dealt with the situation. A shopkeeper, on the condition of anonymity, remarked, “Our business is severely affected. People do not visit our shops due to the stench. An attempt to cover the same has to be taken by the BBMP.”Houses situated at the end of a low-lying road are the worst affected. The water flows into their homes leaving them with nowhere to go. Also the open drains bring along with it flies,mosquitoes and stray dogs. Most drains have been disposed off with plastic and other residential waste.Slum issueTents have been put up as temporary homes for workers in the area. But they have not been provided with basic amenities such as water, food and bathrooms. Workers have started using the trees and bushes in the site as their outlet. Due to the same, stray dogs have been seen as a menace here. Public viewNorman, a resident, asserted, “This area will come under the radar only when the government finds out the number of problems that the area is plagued with. Even though we pay our taxes on time we still are forced to live an unhappy life because it is an area in the outskirts of Bangalore. When will we be given justice?” Authorities speakRamesh, the BBMP executive engineer, said, “The work will be completed in the next 15 days. The slabs that were brought to cover the gutters earlier were of the wrong size hence we will be covering the gutters with cement slabs.” The local corporator of the area, MC Srinivas said, “I will try and ensure that the work is completed as soon as possible.”
Comments
0 comment