Streetlights are out along a 500-metre stretch of Bayalu Basaveshwara Nagar Main Road, where rubbish has also accumulated. Local authorities disagree over who is responsible.
Residents of Bayalu Basaveshwara Nagar and Kommaghatta Phase 1 in western Bengaluru say streetlights are not working and rubbish is piling up on a road connecting their neighbourhoods. The response has been delayed by a dispute over which authority is responsible for the stretch.
The 500-metre section of Bayalu Basaveshwara Nagar Main Road links several parts of the Nadaprabhu Kempe Gowda Layout. The Hindu reported that vegetation has grown along the sides and waste has accumulated in places. Madhusudhan, a layout resident, told the newspaper that the narrow, poorly lit road increases the risk of accidents at night; rubbish spilling onto it also forces people toward the middle of the carriageway.
According to a Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) letter obtained by The Hindu, residents raised the matter at a grievance meeting. On September 9, the BDA wrote to Sulikere Panchayat saying it had checked the location and found it within the panchayat’s limits, and urged officials to act.
Panchayat officials dispute that assessment. Veerabhadraswamy, its development officer, said streetlights under the panchayat’s jurisdiction were working and argued that the land in question belonged to the BDA. A senior BDA official told The Hindu that the authority would visit the site and recheck the jurisdiction.