Ride on Netaji Road delayed by another month

Y Maheswara Reddy | NT

Motorists proceeding towards Netaji Road from Tannery Road and MM Road presently have to take the roundabout diversion on Moore Road at Pulakeshinagar. They have to bear with this inconvenience for at least another month as the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Storm Water department has taken up development of the stretch of storm-water drain here that is in a dilapidated condition for years now.

Motorists coming from Tannery Road, Pottery Town and Benson Town are the most affected due to the ongoing work. It has become a tough task to commute on the stretch between Tannery Road Junction and MM Road-Netaji Road Junction, especially during peak hours. The traffic police have already put up banners at different junctions on MM Road and other places cautioning motorists about the closure of Netaji Road for vehicular traffic due to the ongoing developmental work.

“I know that the closure of Netaji Road is causing a lot of inconvenience to motorists, especially autorickshaw drivers. We have to cope with the inconvenience for some time to facilitate the construction of a storm-water drain, which is very essential to avoid flooding here during monsoon,’’ said Adarsha Auto and Taxi Drivers’ Association secretary C Sampath.

Traffic police are also finding it difficult to regulate vehicles during peak hours. “Earlier, one traffic police constable was enough to manage vehicular movement near the railway underpass (Tannery Road entrance). Now, three to four policemen are needed to regulate vehicles during peak hours. I hope construction of the stormwater drain will be completed as early as possible,’’ said a traffic police constable.

As of now, pedestrians and people residing in a nearby slum can walk to reach grocery or tea shops situated on Netaji Road. “We may not have access to those shops on Netaji Road when the old bridge on the storm-water drain is demolished,’’ said Shanmugam N, a slum dweller.

BBMP Storm Water Drains department Assistant Executive Engineer Renuka assured the construction work will be completed in one month. “We are planning to construct a bridge across the storm-water drain with a sufficient number of vents to ensure water flow without any hurdles. For years now, this stormwater drain was infamous for overflowing whenever it rained heavily. One of the vents is completely blocked. The proposed bridge on the storm-water drain is aimed at avoiding floods here in future,’’ the BBMP engineer added.