While waiting for the rains to go away

BANGALORE: Shivananda Circle on Kumarakrupa Road is considered to be one of the most important landmarks of the city. Known for it’s place in the city long before the ‘Namma Metro’ or the tall skyscrapers, it acts as an important link to all major regions of the city. It connects Shivajinagar to Seshadripuram, Majestic to Mekhri Circle and so on and so forth. So a large crater, right in front of the bus stop, would be a matter to contend with.A barricade branches the flow of light vehicles and the buses soon after Race Course Road towards Hare Krishna Road. The path which the buses have to take seems to be the most critical issue as they lay buried deep, figuratively, with potholes. Deep trenches, literally fringe the entire length of the road.Commuters say that due to the same, many buses choose not to halt at the designated bus stop. A commuter, on the condition of anonymity, said, “Most buses pass by without acknowledging the fact that there is a bus stop here due to the potholes that are present. It gets quite frustrating when we have to wait for a long period of time for a bus.”Adding to the woes, is the garbage disposed with no consciousness whatsoever, swamps surrounded with flies and an unhygienic  BBMP toilet. The jeopardy that it is condemning the residents to seems to have been coolly forgotten by the authorities. The marsh has led to stone slabs being embedded into the earth, making it difficult to travel.The extremity of the dilemma is seen when the city is ‘blessed’ with torrential rain. The potholes end up bigger and replenished with water. Buses do not know where to go due to the deplorable state of the road. A BMTC bus driver, Mani, remarked, “Sometimes we end up stopping on the side of the road that is supposed to be used by the other vehicles. It’s not like we have an option here.”Shantala, a resident of the area, voiced her grievances. She said, “When it rains, the bus ends up splashing water as the depth of the potholes are quite substantial. It has been this way for months and the authorities never seem to care enough to do anything about it.”The executive engineer for the area, Suresh, said, “Nothing much can be done about the condition of the roads  at the moment due to the rains. Once it stops we will start the work.’’