Recent rain has compounded the situation
Roads in Chickpet are riddled with potholes, causing inconvenience to commuters. Poor repair work makes the issue recurring.
Shop owners say the roads have been in a bad shape for a long time, and rain has aggravated the situation.
Pavan Kumar, owner of Sri Laxmi Electricals, shared: “Roads are the biggest problem here. They have been damaged lately. We complained but nothing has changed. Recent rains have damaged the road even more.”
Mrs Swamy, owner of Sri Srinivasa Art and Frames, said: “The situation will never change. We complained numerous times. The road department arrives, covers it with some concrete mix and leaves…. The situation repeats itself the next time it rains. We are tired of this.”
The Observer found vehicles parked on the road hindering the flow of traffic, worsening the situation.
Jagadeesh, an autorickshaw driver, said: “Chickpet has busy roads. A lot of people come here for shopping. It’s sad that we do not have any auto stands here. We park on the roads.”
On October 8, The Observer found the roads uneven and damaged. Two-wheeler riders were about to lose their balance while man covering potholes. When The Observer revisited Chickpet on October 20, it found that the roads were in a worse condition than before.
Wahid Syed, a street vendor, said: “Water had reached my knees during the rainy season. The roads are filled with water. Autos and vehicles are parked on the roadsides which results in blocking and slowing down traffic.”
Prakash B, a daily commuter said: “We know we are not supposed to walk on the roads, but are not left with any other option. Footpaths are half broken; we can’t walk on them. It’s dangerous to cross the main road, but there isn’t another way.”
Somashankar R, head police constable, Chickpet traffic police station, shared: “We already filed a complaint through the Fix My Road app a few weeks back, but we haven’t received any reply yet.”
BBMP officials from the engineering and road infrastructure department said they would fix the roads after rain stops.
D.S. Prahallad, chief engineer, road infrastructure unit, Traffic Engineering Cell, BBMP, said: “The roads are made of concrete mix. We have been repairing the roads. Recently we remade the roads with concrete mix. We are trying our best to make the roads best for people to use.”
S.V. Rajesh, superintending engineer, road infrastructure, BBMP, said: “We will repair the roads as soon as rain stops.”
According to a report in The Times of India, in 2020, water logging made streets in the area messy. Potholes that dot the roads have become cesspools and pavements have turned slippery. Accidents have happened on the roads before. The situation remains dangerous for walkers.
