Road dug up at night, clueless officials battle traffic snarls

BENGALURU: The main road at Aiyappanagar in KR Puram saw massive traffic snarls on Thursday morning during peak hours after the road, without any prior intimation, was dug up on Wednesday night.  The traffic police and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) were short of answers to the baffling situation in the morning. They were clueless as to who dug up the road at night, and battling to manage the traffic flow without any plans in place.

Sub-inspector Syed Nizamuddin from KR Puram Traffic Division said that when the jurisdictional ACP of the jurisdiction had passed through that road on Wednesday night, the condition of the road was normal. Around 7:30 am, there were calls from the public to resolve the traffic woes as the road has become slushy due to rain, resulting in massive jams, he added.

“We have not given permission. This is illegal. The traffic situation was terrible till 11 am. I, along with my staff and volunteers, filled up the dug up road. If someone comes and files a complaint, we will take action,” said Nizamuddin.

BBMP Chief Engineer of Zone N Lokesh reiterated what the police said about giving no permission. “Sometimes, permissions are directly sought from the Palike head office. However, it is mandatory to keep us informed so that we can put caution tapes and make necessary arrangements,” he said. BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath said that the police can take a photo of the spot and file a complaint.