Auto rickshaw driver Naganna, who ferries students to their school from Udayagiri and surrounding areas, is frantically arranging a substitute driver. For, the backache he has developed, after repeatedly traversing on the P and T Colony Road, linking Udayagiri with N.R. Mohalla and the rest of the city, has forced him to give up his job.
“The road is in a shambles for about a year now. The series of potholes and the debris from digging up of the earth for laying pipelines have made the road’s condition pathetic. The children travelling in my autorickshaw are almost in tears when I take the road,” said Mr. Naganna
Apart from developing a backache, Naganna claims he has spent Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 6,000 on repairing his vehicle during the last few months. “I can’t take it anymore”, he told The Hindu .
For most people residing in Udayagiri, Rajiv Nagar and surrounding areas, the P and T Colony Road has become the only option to reach the city, after the Devanur Tank Bund Road was closed for repairs a few days ago. The Mahadevapura main road, however, is circuitous. “This road is lying like this for about a year now. The replacement of underground pipeline appears to be going on forever. Commuting on this road turns nightmarish when it rains. Recently, two girls riding a moped fell and suffered injuries,” said Jameel, who runs a fruit stall on the road. Several businesses have vacated their shops on this road because of its notoriety. “You can find several shops closed on this road. That is because the tenants had suffered losses and vacated the place,” Mr. Jameel added.
Mujeeb, who recently opened a tea stall on the road, has been caught unaware. “I need to clean my shop every half an hour as it gets dirty due to the dust from the road, which is nothing more than a dirt track,” he said.
Road choked
Several residents of the road and shopkeepers also complain of parking of four-wheelers on the road next to the wedding halls situated on the road. “Whenever there is a wedding or a function in these halls, the road becomes choked as cars and other four-wheelers parked outside the marriage halls occupy a good portion of the road,” said another shopkeeper.
