BENGALURU: Forget Chandrayaan, Isro. If you really want to test lunar terrain, just get your mission vehicles to take a drive down Bellandur’s crater-riddled roads! This was the new cry that echoed in the IT hub Wednesday.
With deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar scheduled to visit Bellandur at 4pm, hundreds of residents hit the road at Devarabeesanahalli near Sakra Hospital. Waving placards that read, ‘No Need for Moon Mission, Isro — Just Drive Here!’, frustrated residents chanted “Beku beku, road beku.” That Shivakumar did not turn up only left them angry and frustrated.
“This road has been in a terrible condition for the last six months,” said Kusum Sahay, an elderly resident, adding, “There are no pavements for pedestrians, and stepping out of a car itself is a challenge.”
Venkat, another resident, fumed over the neglect of one of the city’s key localities. “We are the creme de la creme of Bengaluru, yet infrastructure here is cringe-worthy. This is a major road connecting Koramangala and Indiranagar — how hard is it to fix it quickly?”
A resident of Mantri Espana highlighted the daily struggle. “We moved here two years ago hoping things would improve, but nothing has changed. Just yesterday (Tuesday), I took my father to an eye hospital — a seven-minute drive took 20 minutes because of these crater-sized potholes. For elderly people, walking to Sakra Hospital is impossible. We are forced to take cars even for short distances, and that just adds to the traffic chaos.”
Kanchana Ganeshan, another protester, recalled how she used to cycle on the lake road four years ago. “Now, I wouldn’t dare. What used to be a smooth ride turned into a bone-rattling nightmare. Every day, travelling just seven kilometres is an ordeal.”
Rajesh Narka, representing Bellandur Rising 2025 initiative, called for swift action. “Bellandur is home to some of the biggest IT hubs, yet the roads are in a shambles. We take pride in our city, but we cannot be expected to tolerate this mess. If the govt really wanted to fix this, it wouldn’t have taken long.”
Joginder Yadav, a resident, pointed to the irony of last-minute patchwork before the DCM’s scheduled visit. “BBMP suddenly laid gravel and sprinkled water just because a minister was expected. Illegal parking, footpath encroachments and lack of traffic lights make things worse. We pay our taxes — we contribute to nation-building. Even though many of us are migrants, the govt should remember ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ and give us basic infrastructure in return,” he said.
