Riches to rags on Richmond Road

BANGALORE: Richmond Road, in the heart of the city, has always been a popular destination in Bangalore. With music outlets and five star restaurants it has its own faithful crowd.But the residents as well as the visitors are not happy with the way the authorities’ are maintaining the area.The road which leads to Trinity Circle is found dumped with garbage on the roadsides leaving absolutely no space for the pedestrians to walk. The stench exuding from the garbage is unbearable.Also the health hazards posed by the flies, mosquitoes and the rats scrounging the area for food is a cause of worry for the residents.Electric boxes near Shoole Circle as well as Richmond Road signal have been left open exposing live wires to passers-by. They have been left hanging showing that the authorities have not learnt from the previous accidents that shook the city.Repair works near the area add to the woes of the travellers.The place where the repair work is being done is barricaded. Covering more than half of the road, it often leads to severe jams.Also present are mounds of mud often spilling over to the street which makes it accident prone. Pedestrians, having no choice, but walk through the traffic in order to reach the other side.A pedestrian on the road, Akshay, said, “I pass through the street almost everyday.The risk of an accident is very high, mainly during the night. Heaps of mud are disposed here either by the construction sites or by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) work.” He added that the risk posed to the pedestrians due to the lack of footpaths is being dangerously disregarded by the authorities.Plastic covers are often unceremoniously dumped with the mud forgetting the simple fact that plastic is a non bio-degradable material.Upon asking Shiva, a resident about the area, why the garbage is dumped here adding to the mess already present, he said, “We do not have a place to dispose our garbage. Also we assume that the concerned authorities will clean it up when they clear the mud.” The Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) officer of the area remained unavailable for comment.The local corporator for the area, K Shivakumar, said, “I have already lodged a complaint with the Joint Commissioner regarding this.The work is being taken care of by the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL). We have asked them to clean it up but no action has been taken.”