Don’t widen a road leading nowhere

Most people who have travelled through Bull Temple Road will say it is a broad stretch, just the way they like roads to be. This is true on the stretch between Chamarajpet and BMS College.

But beyond the Bull Temple and the colleges, the road  narrows. Here, the civic authorities plan an 80-ft road. Residents, who will be displaced in the process, wonder what purpose such a step is going to serve.

“This road practically ends at Thyagarajanagar. At one point, it is 30ft wide, but as you go along, you will get only about 10ft. Besides, the road leads nowhere. Why widen it at all,” asks Srinivas AG, an engineer who owns a house here.

If the road is connected to Basavanagudi, Banashankari or Kanakpura Road or directly to Puttalingaiah Road and Ring Road junction till where the widening is proposed, such a step may be justified.

But since the tiny road snakes through a crowded area, destroying many decades-old houses in the name of widening is pointless, residents argue. 

“Part of the locality is at least 70 years old. There are plenty of retired people living off the rent they earn from the small portions they have let out. It would be cruel to take all that away for no good reason,” says Surendra HS, a civil engineer.

“When we first heard of widening plan, our first impulse was to sell off the newly-constructed building. But there were no buyers. Now we are unable to sleep well,” says Padmavathi V, a housewife. Her worry intensified when news of widening resurfaced  with the traders of Chamarajpet organising a shutdown.

“Compensation will be inadequate. We will not be able to resettle in a similar locality with all the convenience we are accustomed to,” says she.

It’s the same anxiety that plagues everyone in this old neighbourhood. “We are being displaced for the luxury of outsiders settled in new neighbourhoods. Our houses are being razed for them. Is this fair,” says CR Raghunath, a long-time resident.

He says the number of cars speeding on this road has grown over the years and that is at the root of the problem. “It is wrong for a family of four to have five cars. We’ve almost lost our hearing due to all the honking noise. Business has also been hit hard because no one stops to make a purchase,” says Raghunath who owns a grocery shop.

The way out now would be to turn this road into a one-way street. “The alternative route could be the 6th Main. There are also fourth and fifth mains that can share the load,” says SR Sathyanarayana, a retired BWSSB engineer who lives in the area.

The residents had presented a memorandum to their MLA in 2005 requesting to drop the widening plan.

“Where would they take it? It doesn’t connect to any major road,” says Srinivas BM, owner of a 48-year-old grocery shop.

“The project would take away houses. The government has to think of other alternatives,” says Ajay Kumar, another resident.

The issue of TDR is a contentious one. “TDR will work if the civic authority ties it up with Akrama Sakrama. The rule should be that those seeking to legalise their buildings can do so only by buying TDR,” says  Surendra.

Buses don’t ply here. Congestion is restricted to rush hour. “Sometimes, vehicles queue up if there is a blockage somewhere. It’s free flowing otherwise,” says K Padmavathi Rani, another resident. 

“The road is prone to accidents. Reckless two-wheeler riders are to blame. Probably, posting a policeman here during the peak hours would help,” says Surendra.

While a few residents say there is no connection between Tagore Circle Underpass construction and traffic density on this road, others hope that once KR Road becomes more hospitable, this road will feel freer.
 
“We’ve also dreaming that the Metro will pitch in and make widening totally unnecessary not just here but every where,” says Srinivas.