After numerous pleas to authorities fell on deaf ears, the determined residents of Panathur’s Railway Parallel Road took matters into their own hands, pooling an impressive ₹3 lakh to fund temporary repairs on a severely dilapidated and frequently flooded section of their road.
Their journey began with appeals to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), who promptly deflected responsibility, stating the road was under railway jurisdiction. Subsequent attempts to engage railway authorities also proved fruitless, leaving the community with no choice but to tackle the crisis themselves.
This collective effort was spurred by a recent alarming event: a four-year-old boy narrowly escaped serious injury after falling into an open drainage channel. This incident, while thankfully not tragic, underscores the growing danger and ongoing struggles faced by residents due to the road’s perilous state.
Darshana Mahadevan, a concerned resident, painted a vivid picture of the daily struggle: ‘The road is riddled with deep potholes, constantly flooded in sections, and even has exposed sewage lines, making it incredibly dangerous. This is the main route for many commuting to the IT corridor. What’s worse, while GBA officials pass the buck to the Railway Department, they paradoxically reroute traffic onto this very road during their own construction projects elsewhere.’
Software engineer Madhu M.S. highlighted the severe impact: ‘Daily, we witness two-wheelers skidding or falling. Walking here is a gamble, and vehicles frequently get stuck. Ambulances and school buses are constantly delayed.’ He emphasized their frustration: ‘We shelled out ₹3 lakh of our own money, plus another ₹30,000 for JCB machines, just to make the road usable – all while faithfully paying our taxes. While these temporary fixes offer some relief, these recurring issues are a stark reminder of a profound lack of civic accountability.’
Madhu further noted that East Corporation committees have been contacted repeatedly, yet officials, including the Commissioner, consistently deny jurisdiction. He urged, ‘It’s imperative that civic bodies step up, take ownership, and implement a permanent drainage system and road reconstruction to guarantee safety and put an end to this cycle of flooding.’
Adding to the chorus of discontent, residents from the wider Balagere-Panathur area, including children, staged a protest on Saturday. They vividly described navigating their community as ‘walking on non-existent roads,’ lamenting that the infrastructure is so severely deteriorated, it’s often impossible to tell where a proper road should even be.