Fed up with civic apathy, the residents of Bengaluru's Panathur-Balagere in Bellandur-Sarjapur area off the Outer Ring Road staged a demonstration on Sunday. Men, women and children came out with placards in hand for a peaceful gathering and formed a human chain between Orchid International School and Kadubeesanahalli Bridge.
The residents said that the roads in the locality have been reduced to a dirt track for the last four months since the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) started laying underground pipes. Though the work was completed, the BWSSB did not restore the condition of the roads but let it remain half dug-up. Despite many complaints and representations, the area lacks basic infrastructures like even streetlights.
These dangerous roads are leading to recurring road accidents and even resulting in death, the protestors said. In September 2018, the residents had held a similar protest after a 12-year-old boy was killed after a speeding water tanker ran over him.
More recently, well-known citizen activist Amit Sharma who has been running from pillar to post to fix the condition of the roads, fell victim to the bad roads. In May, he fractured his arm after he lost control of his bike while trying to negotiate a large pothole.
Sudhir Patnaik, one of the protestors, said, “We have been filing complaints with the authorities for many months now. But there has been no action. Right from school kids to senior citizens, all residents are suffering because of the bad roads. We do not have any basic amenities like proper drainage either.”
He added, “Even with just a little bit of rain, the drains overflow and sewage spills over the streets.”
Other protesters pointed out with the rain, the roads turn into mud pools, making the already tiresome Bengaluru traffic even worse, leading to children missing their school exams.
Other conditions such as irregular garbage collection and open drains have been highlighted since the area came within the BBMP limits in 2013. Some of the placards even welcomed the Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy to choose their ward to start his ‘grama vastavya’ (village stay) programme.