Streetlights are missing; bikes ride on footpath
The 350-metre road at Varthur Kodi Circle, Whitefield, has more than 20 potholes and 10 hazardous obstructions. A major inconvenience to commuters, these have caused several accidents.
Anjali Saini, a volunteer at Whitefield Rising, an organization that tries to make people aware of civic problems, said: “This road is a state highway, and traffic is heavy. So when someone falls because of the poor maintenance of the road, it is going to be fatal. The road surface is dangerous because the existing potholes and manhole covers are not scientifically made. I’m talking about 20 potholes on just a stretch of 350-meter road. We cannot imagine what the condition of the rest of the city is.”
Baddi Yaswanth, a resident of Whitefield, said: “One of the problems I have faced is vehicles in traffic jams trying to overtake each other. The divider at this road is a joke; it’s a small elevated space between the road that doesn’t do its job. People just overtake and use dividers to take U-turns. At night, most of the streetlights do not work. Also, there are no traffic signals from Kundalahalli flyover to Hope Farm. Traffic police manually regulate traffic at Varthur Kodi Circle.”
Residents and traffic police officers have identified 20 potholes and ten hazard points in the area.
Vehicles are seen on the divider and the footpath despite traffic police penalizing their drivers.
Shivakumar Angadi, a sub-inspector at the Whitefield traffic police station, said: “Potholes are an existing problem, but not only the problem. Streetlights on this 350-meter stretch are not working, the footpaths are deteriorating. BBMP and us (traffic police) are government servants and we should be accountable, but there are certain things that people should cooperate with us in. …commuters should be careful while driving.”
A. Noli, a regular commuter, said: “There are no signs on this road. Absence of traffic signals tops the problems at this intersection. The undergoing construction of a flyover near Varthur Kodi Circle creates traffic jams at odd hours of the day. It occupies a bigger half of the road and poses a problem for smooth traffic flow. We constantly write complaints to BBMP, but we see no permanent solution.”
On Jult 6, 2022, the Whitefield traffic police took to Twitter to inform citizens that Varthur Kodi Circle’s potholes had been temporarily fixed.
Y.R. Ramesh, assistant engineer, road infrastructure, BBMP, said: “The Varthur flyover construction started four months ago. Along with the construction, we are filling the potholes simultaneously. We are taking the complaints seriously….”
According to a New Indian Express report, BBMP chief commissioner Tushar Giri Nath promised Bengaluru would become pothole-free by November 10. “As many as 1,000 to 1,500 potholes are being filled on a daily basis, and by November 6, we will be able to cover 95 percent of the target,” he said.
yashaswini.s@iijnm.org
