Residents grieve over problems in their area

BANGALORE: Located near Krishna Raja Puram (KR Puram) Ramamurthy connects areas such as Banaswadi and Chandsandra. Though a relatively small area, it has a number of problems that are associated with it.According to the residents of Ramamurthynagar, one of the biggest problems that they have to deal with on an everyday basis is that of shelterless bus stops. There are no proper bus stops at all here. The bus stop at the entrance to Ramamurthynagar is at the foot of the Suspension bridge. Like the other bus stops in the area, this one too does not have a shelter. People stand on the road while waiting for their buses. However, this particular stop poses a threat to the commuters waiting for their buses. “On one particular occasion while I was travelling to my college near the ITI Colony I saw a bus hit a two-wheeler in front of the bus stop. The driver could not apply his brakes in time and as a result he hit the motorist,” said a student of the college near the bus stop.Prethi, another student also added that during the rains they have no place to take shelter while waiting for the bus. “We take whatever little refuge we can standing under the small roofs of the roadside vendor’s shop.” Shelterless bus stops are not the only cause for worry. While the main roads are wide, the inner roads are extremely narrow. The road leading to the market area in Ramamurthynagar is broken and has a number of potholes. Kavitha, a resident who has been living in the area for the last 20 years commented that though development work has been in progress in Ramamurthynagar, there are still problems that have not been dealt with.Speaking about the condition of the roads, Santhosh a software engineer also showed dismay at the width of the roads. “The roads are extremely narrow near the market area. It is literally impossible to park a car without causing a traffic jam,” he said. According to the BBMP assistant executive engineer, Rajgopal Reddy the KSRTC and BMTC have to first identify the places in Ramamurthynagar where the bus stops are required, following that the BBMP will construct them. He however seemed wary of who is actually responsible for the lack of bus stops. “Either the BBMP or the public transport services can build the bus stops.  I have given a proposal for this budget regarding the bus stops. Once that is cleared we can proceed further,” he said.