Distraught Bengaluru residents invite ‘Yama’ to travel on potholed road in Anjanapura

Change Makers of Kanakapura Road (CMKR) and residents of Anjanapura in Bengaluru, on July 23, organised an unusual form of protest. The residents invited the Hindu god of death, Yama along with his buffalo, to travel on the 13-kilometre-long Anjanapura 80 feet road. CMKR is a consortium of more than 80 resident welfare associations on Kanakapura Road.

Fed up with the terrible condition of the road, the protesters decided to highlight the potholes and gravel-ridden stretches of the road and push government authorities into action. The Anjanapura road is an important one as it connects Kanakapura road with Bannerghatta road and is used by many IT professionals who frequently use the NICE Ring Road. According to residents, regular two-wheeler commuters of this road have begun suffering from back pain and frequent minor accidents.

Two of the residents, Pradeep Nair and Sreepathy, raised concerns over how cab drivers refused to pick residents living in the area. Ambulances also face issues of travelling on this stretch and hence arrive very late. They also mentioned that despite two fire stations being present in the area, neither of them can reach on time owing to the terrible condition of the road. Several complaints to the BBMP and BDA have been in vain.

“We know of a resident who had to take their relative to the hospital for an emergency, but the ambulance took too long to arrive. The resident had to drive their relative in their personal car because they could not wait any longer. The person expired even before reaching the hospital,” said Abdul Aleem, President of CMKR. Aleem also said that the road has been in the same condition for more than 10 years.

“We have done a similar protest before in September 2021 as well where we protested by crossing the road in an oracle and planting paddy. The protest received government attention after which MLA visited the area and Rs 25 crore was sanctioned to rebuild the road. However, we do not know where the money has gone now. The government rebuilt around three kilometres and the rest is as it was. The three kilometres built also was not done well,” Sreepathy added.

To protest bad roads, Bengaluru residents plant paddy in rain-filled potholes

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MLA of Bengaluru South, M Krishnappa said that work has begun on the road. “The road work is delayed because the Cauvery water line is being laid and it has been raining. It was the responsibility of the BDA to construct the road but they didn’t do their work. I took the responsibility and got approvals from the development board and the Chief Minister, so work has begun now,” he said.

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