Rain makes mobility harder in Vasanth Nagar underpass

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The underpass in Vasanth Nagar, close to the Cantonment Railway Station is one of the gateways that leave vehicular movements to choke during rain.

Motorists, pedestrians and residents complain they find it hard to drive past the underpass and the complete stretch during rainy days. With pothole-filled roads, the underpass accumulates rainwater, which results in becoming a perennial woe for the public. The road connects Jayamahal Road, Palace Road, and other important areas close to these two roads.

The road gets completely choked as vehicles from all directions drive through to reach Yeshwantpur, Ganga Nagar, Hebbal, and Airport Road. “I always take this route to reach my home in Ganga Nagar and I was waiting near the underpass for more than half an hour on Thursday during the heavy rain.

The road is riddled with speed bumps and potholes and with improper street lights, making it harder for the motorists especially during the night”, said Bharath, an IT professional. It is alleged that poor traffic management on the stretch has led the citizens to suffer a lot. A shopkeeper in the stretch said that the vehicle users often jump signals and there are not enough traffic police officials during the peak hours. Adding to the woes is the sewage water gushing out from one of the manholes connected to the Railway Station.

"It is difficult to drive through the dirty water accumulated here. Pedestrians, bike riders and cyclists f ace major inconvenience," said Raja, an auto rickshaw driver. The stench emanating from the sewage water during the rain is unbearable and affecting the public even as far as the Cantonment Railway Station. When NT reporters visited the spot on Sunday to enquire about the issue, the station master and other officials said they face these issues only during the rains.

Meanwhile the unmanned signals are said to be causing inconvenience for the motorists and pedestrians due to the absence of the traffic cops, who are deployed for political road shows and rallies in the city. “It was raining heavily on Thursday and there was huge traffic congestion. However, there was only one traffic police present at the spot. A few of us volunteered to clear the traffic congestion to let the vehicles move”, said Pasha.

Due to the incomplete footpath work, pedestrians are forced to use the main roads putting their lives in danger during the rains especially in the nights. A lot of the pedestrians lamented that the construction work on the footpath is being stretched by the civic workers for almost six months.