Got water but our roads are gone: Residents of Ayyappa Nagar in Bengaluru
Bengaluru: Last October, residents of Ayyappa Nagar in K.R Puram, were delighted to get water supply in their locality for the first time, when BWSSB inaugurated the Cauvery Stage Four (Phase 2).
It meant no longer having to wake up at odd hours to fill pots or stand in long queues for a few buckets of water. Residents like Bhavani, who works at a restaurant, were happy. Little did they expect the nightmare that followed. “All was well until things started going wrong,” Bhavani sighs.
When the residents of Ayyappa Nagar welcomed taps with running water in their homes, they were shocked by the disappointment that followed. They took it for granted that after the work was complete, the BWSSB or even the BBMP would restore the road after it had been dug up for laying pipelines. But no such luck.
BWSSB, which is noted for its shoddy restoration work, kept up its reputation. The dug-up road was not asphalted, gutters were left open and once the rainy spell started there were numerous potholes on the main road, which connects major localities like ITPL. As if this were not enough, the traffic flow turned chaotic and the problem of dust pollution became acute.
Bhavani rued, “It’s impossible to keep the windows or doors open during the day. Despite cleaning our houses twice, it seems like the entire road’s dust is inside our home. I have a five-year-old son and he often has breathing problems. How can the government agencies be so negligent?”
Those who commute on Ayyappa Nagar Main Road every day have to drive through innumerable potholes. Commuters say that forget pedestrians, even those driving their cars are not safe on this road!
Arjun, a pharmacist, said, “The traffic movement has been severely hampered on this road for the past six and a half months. The road is unfit for commuting. On rainy days it’s dangerous even for four-wheelers since it’s impossible to guess where potholes have formed. During the recent rains, there have been many accidents. It looks as though the BBMP is not bothered about our safety.”
Although the residents have urged the local corporator, BWSSB officials and even BBMP officials to restore the road, nothing has been done and they are indulging in blame-game, said Rajesh, a private firm employee.
“The BBMP officials say it was not their fault and so they are not responsible for repairing the road. The BWSSB officials just don’t respond to our calls. If a major junction like this is ignored, especially during monsoons, who will take responsibility for any loss of life? We are complaining, but who is listening?” Rajesh demanded.
No funds, says Umanand Rai, Joint Commissioner
Ayyappa Nagar Road is in terrible condition. Why the delay in repairing it after the installation of water supply?
The road has not been asphalted and the drain works have to be completed. Due to lack of funds these works have been kept on hold for a while now. Although there have been numerous complaints in the last 3-4 months about traffic is getting affected, nothing has been done because there are no funds to take up repairs.
Which agency is responsible for carrying out the repair works -- BBMP or BWSSB?
The BWSSB is equally at fault in damaging the road because they did shoddy restoration work. The road has been damaged and the agency did not restore the road immediately.
When will the road be repaired?
As of now there is no update because the work depends on availability of funds. We hope to get a clear picture regarding repair work shortly.
