Magadi Road: a nightmare for road users

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, OCT. 14. The Magadi Main Road, which connects Bangalore with the town of that name 50 km. away, has now become a part of the greater urban agglomeration.

The stretches of Magadi Road around Sunkadkatte and Kamakshipalya have, after the recent spate of heavy rain, become a nightmare for all types of road users. From Kamakshipalya up to the Vrishabavathi Valley, it is still BMP territory, though motorists new to the area might well mistake it for a rural road.

This stretch of the road was largely repaired and resurfaced during the past two years under the BMP's Rs.125-crore Bond Scheme to improve public amenities. Beyond the Vrishabavathi Valley it becomes a district road under the care of the Public Works Department. The stretch under the PWD is relatively better maintained in contrast to the road within the City. The Sunkadkatte stretch of the road assumes importance as it will become the approach road to the proposed Outer Ring Road, and there are plans to widen it.

One reason for the poor maintenance of Magadi Road on the City outskirts is that there are two CMCs on either side, Dasarahalli and Pattangere. Both tend to shift the blame on the other, according to the residents.

While not many trucks ply on Magadi Road, there is a steady traffic of the BMP's garbage trucks. They take this route to dump waste in landfills near Nelamangala. Since there are no storm water drains for long stretches beyond Vrishabavathi Valley, there is poor drainage and the road surface is badly affected.

There are several stops here for suburban and district buses and the plight of commuters is pathetic. They cannot board the buses without wading through muddy puddles, some of them ankle deep. Drivers of speeding vehicles splash water onto pedestrians and two-wheeler riders. A number of maxi-cabs also ply on this road and their drivers are blissfully unaware of the speed limits and other traffic rules. Since traffic jams and accidents are frequent, the traffic police themselves often fill up potholes on a temporary basis to keep vehicles moving.

Mr. R.Ashok, MLA who represents Uttarahalli, under which most of Magadi Road lies, told The Hindu that the Rs.2.6 crores spent on resurfacing the road was not properly used. If the road had been properly surfaced it would have lasted for up to five years without needing major repairs, but it had not lasted for even six months, he said. He had represented this matter to the BMP Commissioner, and the residents had even held a protest demonstration recently.

``Under the terms of the contract, the contractor involved is responsible for carrying out repairs for three years and he should be asked to resurface the entire stretch; the BMP has powers to insist on this,'' Mr. Ashok said. There just may not be anyone to do this with the civic elections round the corner.

Meanwhile, those driving on Magadi Road will continue to have close encounters with potholes and more dangerous obstructions.

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