1hr for 4km: Mahadevapura slush causes traffic trudge

BENGALURU: Pack supplies — water, snacks, maybe a protein bar. Charge your powerbank and prepare an upbeat Spotify playlist before you drive. These were some suggestions that motorists, half-jokingly, shared after an exhausting commute to Mahadevapura and Marathahalli for two days.
The latest spell of rain has turned roads of these areas into obstacle tracks of slush and potholes, slowing down the commute for office-goers, students and local residents.In some parts, it took car drivers and scooterists an hour to cross a 4-km stretch on Tuesday and Wednesday. Many others required over two hours to cover 7.1 km as against the usual time of 45 minutes.
The trudge resulted in missed meetings and classes. Some commuters tried to make light of the situation — “it’s a free combo of potholes, slush and traffic jams” — but after the amusement, they wondered why officials can’t provide something as basic as good roads.
The downpour on Tuesday worsened the stretch between Mahadevapura and Marathahalli. It had been already plagued by craters and dug-up patches. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) have been laying pipelines and carrying out drainage work.
“Passing through this stretch is always problematic. To escape traffic chaos, many of us leave office early (when it starts to rain) and complete the remaining work from home,” said Rajath Rao, who works at a firm in Mahadevapura.
The shoddy job done by the two agencies has turned most asphalted roads in the areas into mud tracks. “We understand authorities are trying to provide water lines and other facilities, but can’t they plan properly first? They dig up roads without any coordination and we have to suffer,” said Mahadevapura resident Priya Venkat.
The area received 40-50mm of rainfall on Tuesday evening. “Harlur Main Road, which I use daily to get home, becomes a slushy patch after slightest of rain,” said Venkat Kanan, a resident of Haralur, Mahadevapura.
BBMP blamed BWSSB for the woes. BWSSB chairperson Tushar Girinath said if residents were unhappy with the work of pipe installation, it would be halted.
“We had drafted a plan, but some activists made changes,” Girinath said. “Because of sudden changes, permissions were delayed, and we could begin the work only in June. How can we finish everything in such short time? If people have a problem, we will stop it and let’s see what happens.”