Battered roads, no traffic signals mark accident blackspot in Bengaluru's industrial corridor

The death of a motorist in an accident on the Chandapura-Dommasandra Road near Muthanallur Cross, on Wednesday, has brought the focus back on poor road infrastructure in one of Bengaluru’s growing industrial corridors. The 41-year-old was mowed down by a truck.

Motorists noted that the area, a hub of construction activities, sees an “alarmingly” high movement of heavy vehicles. Battered roads, poorly maintained dividers that are also without neon lights, and the absence of footpaths, streetlights and traffic signals for a stretch of about 10 km — except one on Muthanallur Cross — have made commuting in the area an ordeal, they said.

Residents DH spoke with said that there has been no official response to multiple requests to fix the roads in Singena Agrahara, Muthanallur, Huskur, Sarjapur Road (between Kodathi Gate and Dommasandra), Narayanaghatta and Gopasandra in Anekal Taluk. They said school buses frequently get stuck for hours on the roads in these areas.

Mukund Kumar, who frequently rides his two-wheeler from Muthanallur to Silk Board via Huskur Fruit Market, said the gridlock forces daily commuters to take longer routes via Chandapura. “Reaching work late is a common concern among residents here, despite the area being close to Electronics City Phase 2,” Kumar, a member of the Bruhat Muthanallur Residents Forum, said.

A considerable amount of the area’s traffic comes from the IT corridors — Electronics City Phase 2, Bellandur, and Whitefield — and from Chandapura/Dommasandra to Muthanallur Cross/Sarjapur Road. Electronics City Phase 2 to Chandapura/Dommasandra Road (via Singena Agrahara/Huskur Road) and Whitefield/Varthur to Muthanallur Cross are among the other busy stretches.

The locality has scores of new high-rise apartments and prominent international schools, and is home to a sizeable population in the surrounding villages.

“Unmanned signals and the absence of traffic lights make travel very slow and painful,” Verghese Thomas, a resident of Muthanallur, said.

Naresh Sadasivan, another resident, called the stretch between Dommasandra junction and Muthanallur Cross an accident blackspot.

“My driver’s wife lost her life around six months ago as she got off his motorbike to walk towards a temple. Around two years ago, a resident of Narayanaghatta died on that spot,” he said.

Naresh said the structures left behind on the sites of a stalled bridge construction are also contributing to the problem.

P Rangaswamy, Muthanallur Panchayat Development Officer, told DH that roads in Singena Agrahara and Muthanallur Circle will be repaired soon with the minimal funds the panchayat receives from the government. “It will take two months to finalise the action plan,” he said.

A police officer who oversees the jurisdiction said the Public Works Department (PWD) commenced the patchwork on the Chandapura-Dommasandra Road on Thursday.

Anekal MLA B Shivanna said the roadworks were delayed due to the Lok Sabha election. “We are working with the PWD to estimate the cost to repair the stretch between Muthanallur Cross and Dommasandra. Work will begin after the funds are released,” he said.