The road’s bad, the water even worse

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Bengaluru: For the last two years, Viveknagar main road, beginning at the Post Office, has been in shambles. However, for residents of the area, the bad road is the least of their worries, as they have to deal with contaminated drinking water, clogged drains and an unhealthy environment, to all of which the authorities have turned a blind eye.
Viveknagar main road is the connecting stretch for commuters heading to Koramangala from Ashoknagar, M.G. Road and even Domlur. But the road is hardly commuter friendly.
Every day, hundreds of vehicles, including BMTC buses, use the road. The crater-filled road naturally affects the movement of traffic, invariably ending in a traffic jam. “This has been the condition of the road for the last two years. It has only worsened over the last few months. Neither the MLA nor the corporator of the area is interested in addressing these issues," said Kumar Girish, a resident of the area.
The road has so many deep potholes that it has led to many accidents. “Only two days ago, an autorickshaw carrying two people was speeding along the stretch. The driver did not notice a huge pothole until he almost drove into it, upon which he swerved to avoid it. But the vehicle overturned, injuring all the occupants,” Kumar said.
Adjacent to the main road is Sunkenahalli extension, which falls under Ward No. 117 of the BBMP. For the area’s inhabitants, the bad stretch is just a small problem in comparison with the other issues that plague them.
“Whenever there is rain, water from the road flows into the neighbourhood, flooding the houses. The drains have been clogged for a long time, but BBMP workers have not cleaned them. A few days ago, we hired some private people, paid them money from our own pockets and cleared the drains. Later it rained once more and the drains went back to being blocked,” said Revathiamma, a resident.
When the monsoon sets in, BBMP workers arrive in the area and demand money to clean the drains. “They are paid to clear the drains, but they demand money from residents. We usually pay when they ask, although we did eventually protest. They have stopped coming to this area ever since,” she said.
The stagnating drain water has seeped into the drinking water lines. “The drinking water in the area smells bad. Even people who have borewells cannot use the water for drinking and other purposes as drain water has dirtied groundwater too,” said Santhamma, another resident.