BENGALURU: Jaraganahalli residents, who cleared a garbage dump on the National Highway 209 and fenced off the area last week, have a new problem at hand. Shopkeepers have now started dumping garbage on the roadside, making commuting on the major stretch difficult. The stretch from Sarakki Junction to NICE Road Junction on the NH 209 came under Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), which got the road asphalted in July. But a big patch on the side of the road was not covered which is now being used as a garbage dump by shopkeepers.
The BMRCL maintains that the road was handed over to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), while the latter denies the claim. Mr Prakash, an engineer with NHAI, confirmed that the stretch is still under BMRCL. “The asphalting work was carried out by BMRCL and not NHAI. Moreover, the stretch from Sarakki to NICE road junction comes under BMRCL. We cannot carry out the asphalting work on a stretch that does not come under our jurisdiction,” he added.
The residents now rue that their efforts to clean up the area has gone in vain, with garbage piles appearing again on the stretch. “This is a major concern for us. The mud from the un-asphalted part comes on the road, making it dirty and dangerous for commuters. It is a major stretch and we don’t understand how such a shoddy work was executed. Now, it looks like the NHAI and BMRCL are passing the buck,” Aleem, a resident said.
