Bengaluru: Frustrated with the lack of response from Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials, local residents of Balagere Road, predominantly IT professionals, staged a unique protest by cleaning the road themselves under the banner ‘Namma Road, Namma Responsibility’ on Sunday morning. The protest highlighted the residents’ exasperation with the authorities’ inaction regarding the deplorable condition of the road.
The protest saw a turnout of about 30 residents, including schoolchildren, who were seen holding pamphlets reading ‘#BBMP Election’ while removing loose soil and debris from the road. Balagere Road, which is a few kilometres from Prestige Tech Park, is a crucial route for many daily commuters, with around one lakh vehicles traversing it every day.
A local resident remarked on the dire state of the road, noting, “With the existing mud and potholes, there have been multiple accidents and fatalities. When it rains, the road becomes a death trap for two-wheeler riders and a nightmare for all commuters, as the traffic slows to a crawl due to potholes and waterlogging. There are about 25,000 flats on Balagere Road, with 20-30ft-wide entry and exit points, and the road sees a heavy influx of vehicles.”
Expressing frustration over the lack of action from authorities, Sheetal Kulkarni, a 36-year-old resident, said, “Our requests to elected representatives or BBMP officials, even to maintain an arterial road like ours, are met with the stock reply: There are no funds. We were even told the BBMP head office had cut the maintenance budget for 2023-24. We’d like to know from the BBMP chief commissioner if there is any audit system to track where the ₹10,000 crore of tax collected by BBMP is going. We urge the government to conduct BBMP elections at the earliest so there will be no blame game, and corporators will be responsible for expediting all the pending works.”
Another resident said since 2019, highlighted the deteriorating condition of the road, stating, “One can’t even say there is a road here once it rains. That’s how bad the situation is; the most surprising thing is the road is full of potholes even though it was laid just a year ago.”
Responding to the residents’ protest, official BBMP, stated, “We’re doing as much as we can and are actively filling up potholes. It isn’t easy to cover a big city like Bengaluru and meet all its various civic problems such as garbage cleaning, loose soil lifting, and water facility provision. Sometimes, it might take time to solve all the problems. So, I just say wait patiently, we’ll definitely resolve the issue.”
The residents’ initiative not only underscores the chronic civic issues faced by Bengaluru but also highlights the growing frustration among citizens over the apparent lack of accountability and responsiveness from the local authorities.
