Concerns have been raised over the poor condition of Mysuru Road after Monday’s accident involving a KSRTC bus. Motorists have demanded that civic authorities fix the potholes, redo the bad stretches, and ensure there is no stagnation of rain water on the road. The road condition has deteriorated due to metro construction and heavy traffic load.
“Several stretches near the metro stations are filled with potholes. It is very difficult to ride bikes close to the median as there are many potholes. Big vehicles can somehow manage but bikers are suffering on a daily basis. From Rajarajeshwari Nagar Arch to NICE road barring some stretches, the road is not in a motorable condition. The road condition deteriorates when it rains,” said Nagaraj K., one of the crew members on the KSRTC bus involved in the accident, blamed a pothole for it.
Though the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) opened the Nayanadahalli - Kengeri stretch of Namma Metro in August 2021, the Corporation and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had been at loggerheads as to who will redo the road. While BMRCL had sought to handover the road stretch back to the civic body in September 2021, BBMP insisted BMRCL redo the road before that. While BMRCL insisted BBMP take up the work, BBMP demanded BMRCL fund the project, but the latter had not paid up yet.
In April 2022, at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who also holds charge of the city, BMRCL was directed to take up the redevelopment work. As per the decision of the State government, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has taken up asphalting of the Mysuru Road for a stretch of almost 7 km.
“The contractor has already taken up the asphalting work. The work from Nayandahalli to Jnanabharati has been completed. For the remaining stretch work is in progress. Due to intermittent rain, the work has slowed down. From Jananabharati to Kengeri for a total of 7 km (on either side of the road), the work has been completed for a stretch of 2 kilometer. The contractor has been asked to speed up work and complete it by May 25,” the official said. The road works are likely to cost ₹12 crore to the BMRCL.
