NICE solution to Bangalore civic problem is just two streets away

Hoskerehalli Main Road never had big ambitions. It just wanted to be a quiet, nondescript road at the end of Girinagar. But destiny had a bigger role in store for it.

From Girinagar 14th Cross, it became a main road that connected Mysore Road to Hoskerehalli and Ring roads. Now it finds itself sharing the neighbourhood with the controversial Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE). A part of this expressway has an arm extending to this area.  No wonder, the stretch is on the list of roads identified for widening, much to the disappointment of residents.

“Widening is not necessary because NICE Road is coming up just two streets away. Most vehicles will prefer that route. This may then become redundant,” says Dr Savitha Subramaniam, who is building a three-storey structure on her 60X40 plot.

Subramaniam had to leave 20ft in the front to get the building plan sanctioned. She hopes the project would be shelved and that the space could be used for parking. Many others constructing homes too had to surrender some space in the front. “When the sites were allotted to members of the Vishwa Bharathi House Building Co-Operative Society in the late 1970s and early 1980s, buyers were told to leave 10ft of space for the road. Now, that 10ft has become 20ft,”says Kusuma Bhat, a retired bank manager.

Bhat’s family built on only half of the 50x80 sq ft site they owned. So did a few of their neighbours who were aware of this clause. It has been a long time and the properties have changed hands. Second and third buyers who were ignorant of this requirement built on all the land available. They could suffer huge losses if the widening plan is taken up.

Those who anticipated the project and made room for it decades ago were very few. Small landholders could not afford to be prepared for widening. So there is no point targeting people here, not when plenty of options for traffic management are available, says Shivu B, a store owner living here for 20 years.

“If the idea is to link West of Chord Road to Ring Road, there is plenty of land available behind the Hanuman Temple. Why don’t they take that? There is already a road that has been hidden from the public,” says he.

That road can even be connected to Hoskerehalli Main Road near Sri Vaibhava Ganapathi Swamy Temple, a few suggest. These options are workable as the land needed is vacant. The government is also considering building a bus depot on some land there, people say, adding it will be unnecessary as there are many depots around.

A  park in the new BDA layout beyond Girinagar is adding to the discontent. “They could have rehabilitated a few of us on that park land if they were serious about widening this road,” says a resident.

The going rate of Rs6,000 per sq ft has to be given to the losers. “How far will fighting for compensation take us? We will have to run around and bribe countless middlemen for that. It’s not worth it,” says Sandhya M, a resident.

The only major road here which is the 40ft Hoskerehalli Main Road is a one-way and allows traffic to enter from Mysore Road. That being so, car drivers are forced to take the longer route via Ring Road or squeeze through extremely small streets in the congested areas near Byatarayanapura. This could change too if the government builds roads on its land and there is plenty of it around here, locals say. 

Road widening need not be seen as a solution, insist property owners. “In some parts, footpaths are not neatly defined. Whatever remains can be added to the road,” says Subramaniam.
“Share autos can be introduced. The Metro is on its way. There are ways to decongest the city,” says Bhat.

Those relying on buses feel cheated as they are forced to hire private vehicles. “We are deprived of a regular, reliable bus service and forced to take expensive auto rides. Relying on the bus means waiting endlessly, walking a lot and taking long routes to visit nearby areas. That should change,” says A Nethravathi Bai, a resident of this area for the past 11 years.