BANGALORE: When public did not get to use Kadirenahalli underpass, they did the next ‘best’ thing to make it useful: turn the construction site into a garbage dumping yard. The incomplete work is also allowing the garbage to spill over from the site to the adjacent Ring Road.The project, which was approved in January 2008 under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM), was given to Hyderabad-based Madhavan Hitech builders. They were told to complete the project within 10 months. Four years later, the work shows no sign of nearing completion. Now, BBMP, which has already levied penalty of Rs 75 lakh on contractor for delay so far, has set another deadline of December 2011. Of the total cost, BBMP has already paid more than Rs 15 crore to the contractor.Residents have complained incessantly about the delay. They have been forced to deal with multiple issues such as traffic jams and road blocks leading to unexpected diversions among other things. The road, on which the underpass is being constructed, is an arterial road connecting Mysore Road to J P Nagar, Banashankari, Padmanabha Nagar, Jayanagar up to Bannerghatta Road. Nobody remembers how it started, but residents nearby found it convenient to throw garbage on an unused site and soon it became a garbage dump, used even by outsiders to dump their festive remains. A senior citizen and a resident, R Narayana Maney explains that during construction, the workers disturbed the local water supply as well as sewage pipes. “Open drain water there invites mosquitoes and with it, diseases,” he said.Councilor speakBanashankari Temple ward Councilor A H Basavaraj blamed non-co-ordination between officials and contractors for the delay. There was a huge rock found in the middle of the route of construction. It took months to clear though the rock. “Palike was supposed to widen the road by acquiring 48 houses adjacent to the site. But, officials delayed in acquiring land too,” he said.
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