A single day of rain has turned a road in Janakiram, Trinity layouts, Bengaluru into a nightmare for commuters and residents. The situation, however, is not new. The residents have been asking for the road to be rebuilt for the past eight months. Their constant efforts have yielded no favourable result.
The roads have been dug up and left open, leaving severely risky manholes, potholes and broken roads flooded with water during the rains. The manholes have simply been left open, sewage and rainwater drains have made it worse, with construction debris that has made residents more.
Speaking to TNM, Lt. Col Manoj Cherian, a resident of Janakiram layout, said that all the main and inner roads have been made a mess by the BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike).
"They have been digging to put sewage lines but they don't cover it up. Your life and limb, your vehicles and everything is at risk. Once it rains, you don't know where the hole is. You can see all over Bangalore that they are digging up and putting new sewage lines. But the minimum that they can do is fill it up properly, ensure that when it rains, the holes don't reappear. You put yourself at risk because all the mud is simply just put on top without even compacting it. You don't know whether you are riding on the road or the sea."
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Another resident of the area, Priyanka George, also expressed her concerns over the plight of the residents. Talking to TNM, she said, "It started about eight months back, just before the lockdown. They keep digging all the roads in the layout. There is not one road that they have spared in the name of digging it up. Talking of my road, the Trinity Layout Road, it was one of the best roads around. The condition is terrible now. They dig it up and expose these manholes and the mud is also not put back. As and when it rains, there are water drains and they keep constructing on top of these as well. The sewage and rainwater drains are really messed up and during rains all the water is either on the road or in the low-lying areas."
Speaking of how risky it can get for the residents, she said, "We hit a manhole and my car is damaged to a very bad condition. They come to dig and do not put the mud back properly as well. They keep bringing big trucks on already dug up roads which are already in a bad condition. The manholes are solid concrete ones and it is dangerous. If you just hit one part of your body you could die as well. It's not just the inconvenience it causes, it is also risky given the amount to which it is exposed."
Lt. Col Manoj Cherian added, "The laying of sewage chambers in a haphazard manner with no compacting has led to a very dangerous situation where big holes have come up with the rains as the mud has got washed away. This is a real danger to limb and life. We can somehow manage on a four wheeler, but it is suicidal on a two wheeler or if you are a pedestrian. We have been in this area for 14 years and the living conditions have gone from bad to worse."
Despite a number of complaints being made, petitions submitted, things have gone on to become worse.
"We reached out to many people many times. Because of COVID-19, now nothing will happen. There has been no response. We went to the MLA before the lockdown. We have complained many times but nothing has changed. So we are thinking of meeting the MLA again, now that the Covid has relaxed a bit. We want to get people from the whole Janakiram layout, maybe 100-200 people or more. Unless people are interested in getting some action done, we will live in the same filth for the next 20 years," said Lt. Col Manoj Cherian, who is still determined to get the necessary action taken to improve the conditions.
"We have met directly with the BBMP contractors who are carrying out this work. Other residents and association members of this area have also reached out I guess. We last met the local MLA just before the lockdown was imposed towards the end of March. Since the situation and ground conditions are only getting worse, and with relaxation of the COVID-19 safety norms, we are now planning to meet the local authorities as a collective group. So we are reaching out to all resident associations in this area. We feel that only a collective effort can get some improvement," he further added.
Not willing to give up on the efforts, Priyanka stated, "There has been no response or absolutely no follow-up for the number of times all the residents have gone to meet the local MLA, for the number of petitions we have given. Nothing has happened. We have to keep going and visiting officials and keep fighting till something happens. We are trying to get people from all the concerned associations of the area."
When asked if she sees any change happening anytime soon, she said, "It just doesn't change. If you look at the history, I don't think anything will change. They are only going to campaign when it is time for us to vote and probably act on 1% of the issues. We can't be living with this. It is such a risk to people's lives. With the rains, the roads are worse than dirt tracks. The entire layout looks like a small river when water is logged. We cannot even take the scooter or two wheeler out easily once it rains."
Whether there is even a slight improvement in the terrible condition of the roads, will the plight of the residents be acknowledged with the required action being taken, or things continue to keep getting worse, further increasing the risk to people's lives, only time shall tell.