Anjanapura residents plant paddy on inundated roads

NT Correspondent

Change Makers of Kanakapura Road (CMKR) and residents of Anjanapura have been jointly organising unique protests to stir the BBMP babus to action and fix the numerous pothole ridden roads in the area. This time, the residents ‘planted’ paddy saplings on the slushy road to make it look like an inundated paddy field. This is not the first time they have used a unique mode of protest. A few weeks ago, the residents invited the Hindu god of death, Yama, along with his buffalo, to travel on the 13-kilometre-long Anjanapura 80 Feet road. Protestors say that they are fed up with the terrible condition of roads in their area, so they have decided to come up with novel ideas to make government authorities and the general public sit up and take notice. Anjanapura 80 Feet road connects Kanakapura road with Bannerghatta Road and is used by many IT professionals, who frequently use the NICE Ring Road. According to residents, there are frequent accidents involving two-wheeler riders on this road. Abdul Aleem, the president of the Changemakers of Kanakpura Road Association, said, “We are aware that if we do normal protest; nobody would pay attention to our problems. So, we encourage residents to come up with new ideas.” Aleem added that whenever people come up with an idea, they share it with the CMKR, which has the heads of around 80 RWAs in the locality of approximately 30,000 residents. “Everyone is extremely frustrated with the condition of roads. Every time it rains, the entire area is muddy and filled with water, and it not only creates a problem for pedestrians but also becomes dangerous for vehicle movement,” he said. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike has assured residents that it will soon start a resurvey of potholes and take action to fix them.