Nandidurga Road users’ woes to end soon?

Y. Maheswara Reddy | NT

Bengaluru: Thousands of motorists and residents of Nandidurga Road Extension, Jayamahal, Jayamahal Extension and other nearby areas have to wait for two more weeks for a hassle-free commute on Nandidurga Road. The road is expected to be motorable by January 5, 2022.

Commuting on Nandi Durga Road has been tough for motorists for more than a decade, and their woes multiplies in October 2020 when the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) took up the development of the road.

Motorists have to be cautious as the road was riddled with uneven surfaces, potholes and craters.

The residents of Nandidurga Road Extension, Jayamahal and other areas had a meeting on Monday with the contractor assigned by the BBMP for the development of the road. The residents have complained about the height of the pavements.

“I am skeptical about the contractor meeting the deadline to make this road motorable. The other problem is that pavements are so high and it will be difficult for senior citizens either to climb on them from the road or get down onto the road from the pavements,’’ said Chitra Warrior, a resident of Nandidurga Road Extension.

Anju Lal, a resident of Nandidurga Road, has said that there is no provision to drain rain water from the road and when it rains water gets stagnated on the sides of the road in puddles. “No facilities for utilities were made so far but the contractor has promised to take care of that and provide so that the road is not dug up in future. Some parts of pavements are too broad and some parts do not have enough space for pedestrians to walk,’’ said Anju.

Satya Achayya, a resident, has complained about the uneven width of the road. “I want the BBMP authorities to ensure uniformity in the width of the road from the entrance to the exit,’’ said Satya Achayya.

The development of the road began in October 2020, but the work got delayed due to various reasons including incessant rains. “We did not stop the work. We are continuing it despite hurdles. We have to construct new drains and develop footpaths on both sides of the road. We had to construct some culverts and each of them needed 56 days for curing. A culvert is constructed in two phases (half of the culvert in one phase and the other half in the second phase). I am assuring that there will be no potholes on Nandidurga Road for the next five years,’’ said Anand Pramod, director of Infracon Structures, adding that Nandidurga Road will have a parking facility.

When contacted, Raja MR, one of the directors of Infracon Structures who attended the meeting with the residents, said that he has agreed to construct steps to facilitate pedestrians, especially senior citizens, to climb the footpaths without any hassle.

The residents have complained against indiscriminate digging of the road by the contractor engaged by Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB). They said that the delay in filling the ditch dug up to fix leakage of water may further delay in asphalting the road.

Meanwhile, BWSSB engineer Dastagir Pasha has assured that he would fix the problem in one or two days.