A resident from one of the 80 apartments in the Sobha apartments neighbourhood/Green Glen Layout posed an open challenge last week, daring people to walk down the main access road grandly named Palm Avenue, without getting one’s feet/trousers dirty.
The terrible roads of Green Glen Layout. Pic: Thomas V.
Another resident took it further capturing the state of the road in a video clip, shooting as he drove through the area, with the camera positioned at road level.
It may not be very different from hundreds of other roads in the city, but that doesn’t decrease the pain that thousands of residents and visitors to more than 80 apartment complexes in the area, are subjected to, every single day.
BBMP official AE Narayana says they had proposed a plan for 2 crores to fix the road last year. The proposal was sent back to the ward office, asking officials to resubmit the same during the budget exercise. It was resubmitted as part of this year’s proposed list of works, but the status is not known yet.
In many meetings, elected reps have claimed to have got large sums approved for the road. MLA Limbavali (BJP) claimed to have sanctioned Rupees 2 crores during an RWA meeting. Corporator Babu Reddy (INC) has mentioned an amount of 1.5 crores. Over the years, many plans have been made, approved and disregarded.
Residents are repeatedly told, ‘we will do pothole filling as soon as the rain stops.’ Even when that happens, it is of no use. Dumping gravel makes no difference. We, the residents are in such a fix that we are debating whether to get some concrete and fix the road ourselves. Then can we stop paying property tax?
It’s not the property tax the corporator would be worried about. If residents got together and fixed the roads properly, you are relieving the corporator of a contract that he could’ve awarded his favourite contractor. Expect BWSSB or someone, or someone claiming to be them to come dig it up immediately in the case!