A stretch of broken slabs on an open drain used as a footpath on Varthur Road makes pedestrians wary.
The drain on Varthur Road has been left open for more than six months now. The patch is in front of a heavy traffic junction where vehicles take a U – turn. Pedestrians feel unsafe to cross this patch as vehicles keep coming in a constant stream from all sides.
Manju, a pedestrian on Varthur Road said that she comes here to pick up her daughter from school; the damaged stretch has been like this for more than six months now. She said that she finds it very risky to walk alongside the road. “I carry my daughter and run to pass this stretch to avoid any accident”, she said.
Gireesh, owner of Marginless Market, a grocery store opposite to this spot said that people cross this patch with fear as vehicles come from all directions. The drain has been left uncovered for a long time. He added that buses turn with difficulty at this point due to lack of proper space. “Government should immediately take action to cover this drain as it stinks. This will also provide a proper space for pedestrians to walk,” he added.
Radha, a town planner in Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Plaike (BBMP) said that they have received several complaints against this open drain and they are working to fix it. BBMP workers have been sent to the spot and are directed to complete the work as soon as possible.
Vikram Bhat, an urban planner said that the slabs covering the drain are made to save space on the road as they serve the dual purpose of covering the drains and creating a platform for pedestrians to walk. He said that pedestrian safety should be the priority and that walking on the road is undoubtedly unsafe. He added that this patch of uncovered drain is not barricaded properly with a warning sign; people might fall, especially in the dark.
Another problem is that the existing footpaths are not maintained regularly. It’s like walking from one irregular spot to the other, sometimes with a gap of cement slabs. The footpath in Siddapura, in the suburb of Whitefield, is not maintained and has irregularities throughout.
Ramesh, a resident of Siddapura said that it is hard to walk on the footpath as it is very uneven and slabs are missing in places. He added that there is no point in having a footpath if one can’t walk on it with ease.
Radha said that BBMP will start the maintenance work of footpath soon. She added that the delay was due to the lack of funds.
M N Shivshankara, an auto-driver said that the government does maintenance work as per theirconvenience and pedestrians suffer.
Vikram said that if people do not feel safe walking on footpaths, then there is no point in having them. Maintenance of public property should be as immediate as the ambulance; it should be done immediately with utmost care. He added that appropriate designs should be chosen for developing footpaths and contractors should be told to meet the deadlines so that the common man doesn’t have to suffer.
