Businesses suffer as prolonged roadwork hampers Bengaluru's Nehru Road
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Bengaluru: For nearly a year now, the once-bustling commercial stretch of Nehru Road in Kammanahalli has been under repair, with debris, mud and dug-up pavements pushing customers away and hurting small businesses.
The worsening road conditions have caused six or seven seven shops to shut down because of poor business. The work began in June 2024. When TOI reported on the issues in early Jan, BBMP officials had said the work would be done in three months. However, when TOI visited Nehru Road early in May again, the ground reality was as bad as it was in Jan.
At present, BWSSB is carrying out drainage and water pipeline work. After this, BBMP will take up white-topping.
The road is filled with mud, jelly stones, garbage, and pipes, and is uneven, with patch-up work being done in spots that were dug up.
A hotel owner, who wished to remain anonymous, said they lost 40-50% of customers because of the work. "I started in 2019 and Covid hit my business badly. Just as I was recovering from the losses, this road issue came up. Customers come in only if the road is good and drivable, and only if commuters drop in do we have business. We are paying high rents here for these shops, so how should we bear rents, labour payments, and make profits? We aren't against any development work, but when the work is so slow, how long can we continue to bear losses?"
While local MLA KJ George's team has promised to finish the work in the next 3-4 months, locals fear there may be a delay and monsoon will make it difficult to even walk on the road.
In fact, a 100-metre portion from Nehru Road Circle towards Kullapa Road has been closed for the past three months. Ameen, a footwear shop owner, said: "The road in front of my shop has been closed for months is filled with mounds of mud, earth-digging machines and other vehicles... so how will customers come? Our concern is that there are two schools on this stretch, I can't understand how kids will walk in this mess from the first week of June when the schools reopen.
What are we supposed to do? Who will listen to us?"
Another shopowner, who has a biriyani joint on the same stretch, said they used to sell 4-5 boxes of biriyani, each weighing around 40kg. Now, it is down to one or two boxes. "The amount of dust rising from the road is discouraging people from coming and eating in open food joints."
Fed up with the slow pace of work, the locals had a meeting with the MLA and officials seeking clarity on when Nehru Road would become presentable. A trader who wished not to be named said, "Developments are welcome but not at the cost of shutting down businesses. After a six-month delay in completion, we had a meeting with officials to check on the status of the project, and also pointed out the problems we are facing. The project has no timeline and no proper coordination between the agencies.
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