Dairy Circle construction; Footpath in tatters, walkers safety jeopardised

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Footpaths are an important metric, in making a city liveable, as people, old and young use them as a last mile connectivity.

However, the same in Dairy Circle opposite Christ University is wearing a negligible look, as university students, travellers and company employees face a tough task walking to their destinations.

Neeraj K, a student from the private university, had lamented that the large bricks installed in the footpaths leaves students like him to cross on the roads.

“Walking on this road where a lot of buses and heavy vehicles pass through is a predicament,” he cited. Why are the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) allowing constructors to use public space?” he questioned.

Travellers with their families find it difficult to walk here.

“Young kids and senior citizens are the most vulnerable,” he added.

Around 200 metres of the footpath is usurped, on the road from the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) towards Koramangala, opposite Christ College. Gokul, a techie working in an IT Company here, had pointed out the parking of vehicles in the footpaths.

“Vehicles, especially twowheelers are being parked, leaving us with little space to walk to office, Heavy vehicles are also stationed, supposedly for the construction here,” he added.

An elderly person, captured on the picture, found it difficult to walk on the footpath.

“The conditions of the footpath are horrible, this puts people like us vulnerable to mishaps,” he said. Project manager of the construction site Balamurugan, had acknowledged the same, and assured that the material and the vehicles will be cleared in the next few days.

“We were approached by a few and were told to clear the material. However, it is the responsibility of the authorities to improve these footpaths,” he said.

Officials from the BBMP did not respond, when contacted by News Trail. Footpaths in the city are subject to a lot of attention. In November last year, a mother and her child were electrocuted due to a live wire popping out in the footpath.