The road‑work, intended to ease movement between 80 Feet Road and 100 Feet Road, was launched with a rapid start but has since slowed to a crawl, leaving sections of the carriageway dug up, open drains exposed and connecting streets blocked.
Residents of the Defence Colony area, represented by association president Naresh D’Mello, say the unfinished stretch can now be accessed only on foot from the 100 Feet Road side, while interior lanes remain impassable for vehicles, turning routine trips to grocery stores, petrol pumps and other essentials into a logistical nightmare.
Commuters report that auto‑rickshaws are charging an extra ₹150 to navigate the detour, adding both time and cost to daily travel. The bottleneck has also forced traffic into adjacent residential streets, raising safety concerns for pedestrians and increasing wear on private vehicles.
Local shopkeepers are feeling the pinch. Ashok, who runs a grocery store on 9th Main, says deliveries have stalled and customers have turned to alternative routes, resulting in a noticeable drop in sales since the works began.
Urban‑design consultancy Bengawalk, which monitors public‑space projects, warned that the protracted delay undermines upcoming plans for an elevated corridor in the area, noting that discussions about a flyover are now being raised while the ground‑level works remain incomplete.
Despite repeated complaints, officials and the contractor, B‑SMILE Technical (represented by director B.S. Prahalad, who was unavailable for comment), have not provided a clear completion timeline or details on who is overseeing the project, leaving residents without a point of contact for accountability.