BANGALORE: Vasanthnagar, as a locality, gives the observer the vision of being a well developed area playing host to some of the best eat-outs, shopping outlets and high rise buildings. But the 8th Main Road of the locality, popularly called the Loafer’s Lane, begs to differ from the general conjecture that is formed.The road opposite Mount Carmel College, is used by thousands of people everyday. But with garbage disposed everywhere, pedestrian pathways covered with construction material, manholes protruding out and slabs opened on the pretext of cleaning drains, the area seems to be shrinking everyday.Make your way through the garbageAn empty plot in the road has been dumped with all kinds of garbage, mainly plastic. Further down, a complete stretch of the road has been dumped with waste of residential colonies from all over Vasanthanagar. The BBMP officials say that it is cleaned on a regular basis despite which residents go on to discard their everyday wastes there.Be careful where you step onIn two areas, the slabs have been removed by the BBMP in order to clean the drain. While this is a common issue throughout Bangalore, the situation is aggravated here as it is a narrow road. A shopkeeper, on the condition of anonymity, said, “Slabs have been removed right in front of my shop. With this, not only is business affected, but I have to bear the stench for the complete day.” The absence of street lights make it difficult to traverse in the night. Also, the waste that has been removed from the drain has also been dumped unceremoniously on the road. The two factors combined, pose a safety threat for all pedestrians. Building? Dump your construction material on the road In several areas, construction material such as crushed stone and pipes have been discarded on the pedestrian pathway. While the footpath has a width of only around three feet, the presence of these materials leave no expanse of the pavement for people to travel through. A pedestrian on the street, Arpana, remarked, “We often have to get down on the road to make our way across. Fighting with the oncoming vehicles is not only a Herculean task but a perilous one too.”Potholes and manholes all the way The road is covered with manholes on one side. An overflowing drain in the middle of the road, on a routine basis is a major cause for concern. A resident, Ramesh, asserted, “The drain overflows every two or three weeks. As this is a low lying road, the situation gets worse. Also, if the water is allowed to stagnate on the road, it will lead to potholes. A solution must be found.”And so they say the BBMP assistant engineer Shekhar, said, “The drain work has been going on for the last two days. All issues with the road will be sorted out as soon as possible.” The local corporator of the area, Katta Jagadish, was unavailable for comments.
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