Road to Karnataka DCM's constituency dotted with potholes & trash
Bengaluru: From garbage to potholes, there's no dearth of problems plaguing commuters and residents along the Kanakapura stretch in south Bengaluru. Known for its good connectivity through Metro and bus services, many consider it one of the best areas to live in.
However, their patience is slowly wearing thin due to poor civic amenities and almost non-existent action.
The 9.1-km stretch connecting Banashankari Metro station to Silk Institute Metro station and leading directly into the deputy chief minister's constituency lies in a sorry state despite crores of rupees being spent to develop it into a model corridor. In its reality check, TOI found that far from its intended image of smooth and modern infrastructure, the arterial road is scarred by deep potholes, scattered mounds of garbage, and missing or damaged footpaths.
Thick layers of dust blanket the stretch, causing visibility concerns.
20 BLACK SPOTS AND COUNTING
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TOI observed that there are over 20 garbage black spots along the route, several spilling into the roadway. The black spots are mostly at Banashankari Metro station, Jaraganahalli Cross, Thalaghattapura Metro station, and the stretch beyond the Silk Institute. A security guard of a food joint near Vajarahalli Metro station said: "We cleaned it last week as the smell was unbearable.
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Most times, BBMP officials don't respond to our complaints.
So, we did it ourselves. There are not enough dustbins also."
Risk factor: Broken footpaths
From Doddakallasandra Metro station onwards, the deterioration becomes worse. Craters force motorists to swerve dangerously, while pedestrians are left with little choice but to walk alongside traffic due to the absence of walkable pavements. In places where footpaths exist, they are either encroached upon or broken, putting people, especially senior citizens and schoolchildren at risk.
Officials blame public apathy
Officials say despite deploying garbage trucks and imposing fines, public apathy is making it hard to tackle the menace. An official said: "We've been deploying garbage trucks daily, appointing marshals to impose penalties, and even setting up bins at multiple points—but if people don't change their behaviour, what more can we do? Despite all these efforts, nothing seems to be working.
We're also imposing a Rs 500 fine, but honestly, we're clueless about what to try next.
"
Talking about the garbage piles beyond Silk Institute Metro Station, MLA ST Somashekar said: "We held a meeting with Ramanagara SP and zilla panchayat officials regarding the garbage menace. As per the deputy chief minister's directions, CCTV cameras will be installed at key locations by the end of this week. Strict action will be taken against those caught dumping waste—they will be arrested and legal proceedings will follow.
We are committed to ensuring this stretch remains clean and free from such violations."
Quote s
Shilpa Rao, 46-year-old regular commuter
There's no road—only garbage. That's how horrible the situation has become. The stretch after the NICE Road is in shambles, with potholes staring at us. I understand that BBMP sends a cleaning crew and carries out regular activities, but the door-to-door campaign needs to be implemented more strictly.
There should also be fixed timings for when garbage collection vehicles arrive—they can't come at 10.30am and expect people to be home, as half the city leaves for work by then.
If we had a proper, dedicated disposal system, why would anyone throw garbage on the road?
Dhananjaya Padmanabhachar, resident of Thalaghattapura
Citizens pay 30% of their earnings along with GST, services tax, property tax, stamp duty, road tax, etc. to the govts, but still they fail to provide basic infrastructure of roads, footpaths, and a garbage-free city for the income taxpayers. We demand a refund of our tax if they can't give us basic necessities
Abdul Aleem, president of Changemakers of Kanakapura Road Association
Garbage heaps are black marks for a world-renowned city like Bengaluru. From outside, it may look like people who throw trash are the culprits but the city is controlled by a garbage mafia, a nexus of contractors and politicians. If we dig into the core issue of black spots, it is evident that it is actually the lack of household and commercial garbage collection. These garbage contractors deploy 30-50% fewer vehicles instead of the allocated ones, forcing the residents to dump garbage on their own.
These contractors, in turn, spend money for election expenses and birthday bashes of politicians. Hence, politicians blame people instead of the garbage contractors for this mess
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