Commuters on Panathur Main Road have a nightmarish experience due to the delay in the construction of the railway underpass.
DH PHOTO/BK Janardhan
Bengaluru: The stalled construction of the railway underpass on Panathur Main Road has caused significant inconvenience for daily commuters, leading to palpable frustration among residents and workers.
The initial construction progress involved demolishing acquired buildings at S Cross Junction and starting culvert work at the Panathur railway underbridge (RUB). However, these activities have only exacerbated traffic issues in the area. "It takes about two hours for the traffic to clear up," said a labourer working on the railway underbridge.
The narrow underpass, designed to facilitate smooth traffic flow under the railway tracks, is overwhelmed by the high volume of vehicles.
A traffic police officer at the S Cross Junction told DH: “The road capacity is about 10,000 vehicles. If this is exceeded, it becomes a task. For example, if you put a 50 kg load on me and I can’t handle it. What can I do then?”
The traffic policemen stationed at the junction manage the flow by stopping vehicles on one road, while allowing the other side to proceed. “The roads are too narrow. They need to be widened because traffic jams often extend up to 700 metres from the underpass on to the main road,” said another officer.
Since the underbridge expansion project halted, traffic congestion happens all the way from Kadubeesanahalli Junction.
Land acquisition
A senior BBMP engineer said that work has been temporarily held up due to land acquisition issues. "We are verifying land records of four properties critical for the project. Another 15 properties are required, which might take time," the engineer said.
Local shopkeepers have expressed concerns about the delayed project. "It is difficult for pedestrians to cross the roads. Our customers struggle to cross the road after buying groceries and rice bags because of the demolition and traffic,” said Krishna Reddy, a local shopkeeper.
Local resident Venkat Reddy slammed the poor infrastructure planning.