Bengaluru: Whenever it rains, passengers travelling to Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) on Ballari Road are faced with these challenges—waterlogging and traffic snarls. One of the major points that turn into a traffic bottleneck is the low-lying area of the national highway near Hunasamaranahalli lake, close to Yelahanka Air Force station.
On Tuesday, traffic piled up for over a kilometre and the motorists were scared to use the flooded stretch.
Frustrated by delays in reaching the airport, motorists have been questioning the poor maintenance of the tolled road. However, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) maintained that waterlogging near Hunasamaranahalli is primarily due to encroachment of rajakaluves in the Bharatinagar area.
KB Jayakumar, project director of NHAI, said: “We have already spent over Rs 35 lakh to drain out water on the stretch that witnesses waterlogging. However, problems are located beyond our jurisdiction. For free flow of rainwater, rajakaluves and other drainage systems need to be cleared in the Bharatinagar area. Rain water is not flowing downstream because of encroachment of the rajakaluves and blockage of drainage systems by dumping of waste and debris. We urge the authorities to address this issue.”
The NHAI official said they had reached out to the town municipal council of Hunasamaranahalli seeking intervention, but no action was taken. They have also urged BBMP and other authorities to intervene. “There is an urgent need to survey rajakaluves and other drainage systems and take measures to ensure free flow of rain water,” he said.
NHAI also claims that utility ducts on several stretches of NH are blocked by people dumping debris and waste resulting in waterlogging.
The official added that waterlogging is resulting in the deterioration of road conditions. Every day, more than 1 lakh motorists use the highway, with the majority travelling towards the airport.
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Tree branches disrupt Metro services
Namma Metro services on the Purple Line were disrupted on Tuesday morning after branches of a tree fell on the viaduct between Indiranagar and SV Road Metro stations. The incident forced BMRCL to suspend services between MG Road and Byappanahalli after 6.15am. However, trains were available on other reaches of the Purple Line from Challaghatta to MG Road and Byappanahalli to Whitefield. Services on the entire Purple Line were restored around 8.05am after the removal of branches and safety checks.
Many passengers travelling towards the Whitefield side found it difficult to board buses from MG Road station. A BMTC official said: “We received a request from BMRCL to run additional buses around 7am. We operated 10 additional buses between MG Road to Baiyappanahalli as shuttle services for the benefit of Metro passengers.”
