BANGALORE
Shopkeepers and residents are divided on whether the narrow road running in front of Russel Market should be widened. Some say that by doing so, it will become more accessible and popular.
Things could improve in Shivaji Nagar if the civic body pays attention to its woes. Inhabitants have been making do with remnants of the basic infrastructure left behind by the British. It is time they got better roads, drains and water supply system, some say. Others disagree.
Now, they are also being given something they have not asked for — road widening. Along with the many roads identified for widening is mentioned the tiny stretch in front of Russel Market from Chandni Chowk to Meenakshi Koil Street.
The double road with a huge parking lot in the centre could get a makeover if the so-called widening is taken up here. “We have been hearing that a multi-level parking lot will be created there.
The news has been out for many years. Nothing has changed,” says Sarwath Rahum, who runs a pharmacy on Noronha Street.
The nuisance of illegal parking has to be fixed, he says, blaming haphazard parking for the congestion that occurs during a few hours of the day. But others are sceptical.
“We learned that the ground floor will be open to public, the first floor for taxi drivers and the top floors will be for a shopping complex. Will that solve the parking problem? We are not sure,” says Basha Khan P, a cabbie who represents the Russel Market Taxi Drivers’ Association.
Khan says the new parking lot could even create traffic jams when vehicles queue up in front of it. “On second thoughts, I would say, leave things as they are,” he adds.
The multi-level parking lot in Shivaji Nagar bus stand which is a stone’s throw away has not been too successful since it opened a few years ago. Adding another one without understanding the reasons for the failure of that project will be unwise, they say.
“The entrance to that parking lot is from Central Street. Even buses enter from that side. Hence, there’s a lot of confusion,” says Rahum. There are plenty of reasons why that project did not click.
“It’s too expensive to park there. One can get away with leaving one’s vehicle in no-parking zones. On Broadway Road, you will find that cars are parked on both sides although only two-wheelers are allowed on one side of the road,” says SA Salaam, a perfume vendor.
“The tax payer will be the loser in the end — the government will put in our money in such flop projects without proper planning or study,” says Mansoor Basha, a tea shop vendor.
The charm of Russel Market will suffer a severe beating if the project is taken up. The giant trees that stand in the centre of the area will have to go to make way for cars in need of parking space. Too bad, but it has to be done, says Modh Idrees Choudhury, general secretary of Cantonment Fruit Merchants’ Association.
“This is one of the oldest markets of the city. It is accessed by residents of all surrounding areas. Perishable items like fresh fish, meat, fruits and vegetables are all sent out from this point,” he says.
With time, the activities will only grow in scale. For that, the market has to be easily accessible. For this, broad roads have to be built, he says.
Sanitary problems like leakage in some parts and electricity shortage have to be addressed to maintain and preserve this colonial structure. Along with this, civic authorities have to tackle water logging and overflowing manholes during rains.
“Traffic movement is badly hit even if it rains for 10 minutes. The sanitary pipes are old and small. They have to be replaced,” says Javed Sharief, a salesman.
The footpaths are a sorry sight, garbage clearance is not efficient and traffic management leaves much to be desired. This being the case, what is the point of widening the roads, they wonder.
“Does the government bother about what we want? They can try out other ways to ease congestion which is restricted only to a few hours; jams are caused by specific reasons. They can probably build bridges. We are not engineers to think of ideas,” says Venkatachalapathi M, who runs a watch shop in the market.
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