Everlasting inventory of hassles

BANGALORE: There seems to be no end to the miseries of the residents of Shivajinagar. ‘Adorning’ all the essential features to be categorised as one of the most neglected areas of the city, the locality is yearning for the much needed attention by the authorities concerned.But despite many awakening calls, authorities seem to be more interested in aggravating the residers’ difficulties, let alone working towards improving the situation.And intensifying residents’ woes further is the work undertaken by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) on the road parallel to the Meenakshi Kovil Street, near St Mary’s Cathedral church.The small stretch already trying to cope up with shops lined up all along the lane and thousands of footfalls everyday due to market hubs nearby, has been converted into an even narrower lane, all thanks to the two craters dug up by the BWSSB.And the shop owners are agitated with the fact that the they have been left in the same condition for the last 15 days.“The BWSSB dug up the place for laying down the pipes saying that the already existing pipes are too old to take the pressure.They made these craters despite the fact that none of us were complaining about it.The pavement worked fine and there was no problem,” said Rizwaan Pasha, a shop owner on the stretch.Each crater, approximately six feet deep and 15 feet wide is not only creating problems to the shop owners, but are also imposing difficulties for the commuters.Already a narrow stretch, the road has shrunk further with craters taking up significant space.“The cavity is deep and wide enough for anyone to slip in. And since its dug up in the middle of nowhere, the chances of accidents taking place is even higher. We are not asking the authorities to stop laying the pipes. All we want is these craters to get levelled as early as possible.But it has already been 15 days and nothing seems to be shaping up,” said Chand Mohammed, a shop owner on the lane.When City Express got in touch with the area corporator Shakeel Ahmad, he said, “The work has been taken up by the BWSSB. The old sewage pipes are being changed with wider pipes to prevent the leakage of the sewage water, which was a frequent phenomenon on this stretch.The work is on, but last three days, workers did not turn up due to the festivals and rain. As soon as the rain stops, workers will be back and the work will be finished within next 15 days.”