Bengaluru: The Horamavu underpass will take two months more to finish

Bengaluru: Months have passed by, and the slow pace of the underpass work at Horamavu railway crossing on Horamavu Main Road is getting on people’s nerves.

The crossing used to cause major traffic snarls, and the idea of an underpass was welcomed by local residents. However, the inordinate delay is turning out to be stressful for them.

Shopkeepers and residents on both sides of the railway track have been badly hit by the underpass work.

According to Arvind Venkatachala, a resident of nearby Jayanthi Nagar, “We have to circumnavigate and take a whole lot of diversions to reach the main road. The whole process is very taxing. Why can’t the authorities quicken their pace, I can’t seem to understand.”

Chemist Mohan is upset because his business has been affected. “Earlier, when the railway crossing was open, a lot more people used to stop by and buy medicines. Now since the gates have permanently shut and work has been going on, business has been hit hard,” he said.

Residents who used to earlier cross the tracks on foot now complain that there is neither a pathway nor enough lighting to cross the level crossing. “There is no proper lighting except one big floodlight. I have given up walking across the tracks. I now ride out using another way which is extremely tedious as it is winding, narrow and confusing as well,” says Shrishti P, a resident who stays near the big banyan tree, close to Gandhi Statue.

When contacted, local MLA B.A. Basasavaraja of K.R. Puram constituency expressed helplessness. “The work is in the hands of the central government and railways in particular. I understand there have been inordinate delays. The concerned authorities have insisted and assured us that work should be finished in the next two months,” he said.