Pramesh S Jain
*Additional Chief Secretary of the Urban Development Department,Tushar Giri Nath has directed concerned officials to undertake necessary infrastructure improvements aimed at easing traffic congestion in Bengaluru.
Today,during a joint inspection with officials from various departments,he reviewed the Outer Ring Road stretch from Silk Board Junction to Hebbal Junction and discussed actionable steps to ensure smoother vehicular flow.
As part of traffic decongestion efforts in the city,officials were instructed to promptly address pothole repairs, undertake road resurfacing,improve junctions,expedite white-topping works,ensure proper drainage to avoid waterlogging, and maintain road conditions in areas undergoing Metro construction.
While inspecting the ongoing Metro work near Hosur Main Road,adjacent to Shanthala Nagar,officials were directed to remove barricades from completed sections to facilitate seamless traffic movement.
*Mandatory Signboards by Working Departments:
Departments such as BMRCL (Metro),BWSSB,BESCOM, and others engaged in road-related works are responsible for restoring the road surface post-completion.
If potholes or surface damage occur due to their works, they must carry out the repairs themselves.Officials were instructed to ensure that clear signage is installed at such locations indicating the name of the responsible department.
*Silk Board Junction Development Measures:
To prevent waterlogging at Silk Board Junction,desilting of stormwater drains must be carried out regularly. Officials were directed to prepare a design and implement development works for the comprehensive upgrade of the junction.
*Expedite White-Topping Work:
The white-topping work on Agara Lake Road must be completed at an accelerated pace.Roads surrounding Agara Lake,which have been in poor condition for many years, should be temporarily repaired, with long-term solutions to be planned and executed in the near future.
*Iblur Junction Development:
A skywalk should be constructed at Iblur Junction to ensure pedestrian safety.Officials were also directed to take steps to prevent waterlogging at the junction and to work towards its overall development.Additionally, a feasibility study is to be conducted for installing a “magic box”underpass to improve vehicular movement.
*Entry/Exit Access Design for Better Traffic Flow:
Officials were directed to design access ramps at 20 locations on the Outer Ring Road to allow vehicles to smoothly transition between service roads and the main carriageway.
This initiative is estimated to reduce traffic congestion by 30–40%.The designs are to be prepared in coordination with the GBA and traffic department and implemented without delay.
Chief Commissioner Maheshwar Rao observed the poor road conditions on Langford Road in Shanthala Nagar and personally took photographs with his mobile phone, forwarding them to the relevant officials for immediate rectification.
At Agara Junction,a damaged pipe on the flyover is causing rainwater to fall onto the road below.Officials were directed to replace the pipe to prevent water spillage.
The lower portion of the flyover is in poor condition and must undergo milling and be patched using eco-fix materials to fill the potholes.
*Key Discussion Points During the Inspection:
* Prompt pothole repair within the Bengaluru South City Corporation limits.
* At HSR Layout, Sector 5, rainwater stagnation is causing accelerated road damage.A pipe must be installed to direct water to the drain, and concrete must be used to reinforce the damaged sections.
* Comprehensive development plans were directed for Agara, Iblur, Bellandur, Kadubeesanahalli, and Nagavara junctions.
* Measures must be taken to prevent flooding near Ecospace.
* Acceleration of road widening works on Panathur Road.
* Development of service roads near Hebbal.
Officials present during the inspection included Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh, BMRCL Managing Director Ravishankar, City Corporation Commissioners K.N. Ramesh, Ramesh D.S., Pomala Sunil Kumar, Additional Commissioners Lokhande Snehal Sudhakar, Naveen Kumar Raju, Joint Commissioner of Traffic Police Karthik Reddy, and other senior engineers and officials.
