To have or not have an underpass?

BANGALORE: Residents living around the Karnataka State Reserve Police Quarters on Sarjapur Road are miffed with the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) for having started work on an underpass and then abandoning it midway. This underpass work taken up opposite the Jakkasandra bus stop, many residents feel, was not needed to begin with. After having blocked the road for close to three months now, the BDA is yet to undertake construction on a regular basis.“First they left a small stretch of road for commuters. Later, even that was blocked. It has been three months now and no work is being done,” said A M Mallesh, advocate. Mallesh has to pass through the road four times a day. “It is a 100-ft-wide road and this work is not required at all. It is helping none besides the contractors,” he further added.The corporator said that the reason for the delay in work was Koramangala Layout Residents’ Association protest to the project. “Kormangala Layout Residents’ Association is opposing the project since it will increase the traffic in their area. They are also concerned about a few trees being cut to make way for the underpass,” said corporator Saraswathamma. “The BDA  tried to resume work but they used their influence to get it stopped. This underpass is necessary for us, trees can be replanted later too, ” she added.While the Association battle it out with the BDA, residents who use the road regularly are put through the misery of having to carry out some fancy manoeuvring in spite of there being a road wide enough to drive peacefully. “Either finish the work or abandon the project and reopen the road entirely. These halfway measure will just not work,” said M V A Raja, a resident of the area.