1 week ago
1
After 7 months of persistent efforts, B-SMILE has yet secured partial support from the Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) to overhaul (white-topping and drain works) Kengal Hanumanthaiah Road, 1 of the astir important connecting links successful the cardinal portion of the city.
However, the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) inactive has to wide the decks by drafting up a time-bound enactment program and past question last support for laying the road.
As of now, the BTP has agreed to let the completion of drain, footpath, and inferior works. If everything goes arsenic planned, B-SMILE is apt to instrumentality up whitetopping enactment for a 1-km agelong betwixt KH Circle and Kreeda Junction wrong the adjacent month.
A important link
According to a source, the KH Road whitetopping task was tendered to a azygous contractor arsenic portion of a bundle erstwhile the erstwhile Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) floated tenders for 4 antithetic stretches, including JC Road.
In mid-2025, adjacent arsenic work connected JC Road dragged on, the civic assemblage had sought support from the BTP. However, considering the slow-paced enactment connected the engaged JC Road, which brought postulation to a standstill, the BTP did not assistance permission.
A elder postulation constabulary serviceman explained that KH Road serves arsenic a important nexus connecting southbound Bengaluru to the cardinal portion of the city, too catering to commuters from southeast Bengaluru. The lone alternate is JC Road, which runs parallel to the stretch.
“So, it was risky to assistance support for some roads, arsenic it could person paralysed different connecting stretches and smaller lanes arsenic well. Despite this, commuters had to endure the slow-paced enactment for astir a year, according to the officer.
Missed deadlines, compounded worry
The BTP’s interest is that the aforesaid contractor had missed aggregate deadlines earlier, and if that happens again connected KH Road, the upcoming monsoon could crook disastrous, arsenic the KH treble roadworthy already witnesses important flooding. In addition, autobus question is dense connected the agelong arsenic it besides connects to the Shanthinagar Bus Station.
However, B-SMILE officials are assured of completing the enactment connected time. A B-SMILE root told The Hindu that the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has completed enactment connected 1 side, portion enactment connected the 2nd broadside volition statesman soon.
“Now, the BTP has permitted america to transportation retired inferior works, which volition commence shortly. For the whitetopping work, we are preparing a four-phase enactment plan, which means the agelong volition lone beryllium partially closed to traffic,” the root explained.
Lane-wise work
The program is for B-SMILE to instrumentality up the enactment lane-wise. While enactment is underway connected 1 broadside of the lane, postulation question volition proceed arsenic accustomed connected the different lane. This volition guarantee that vehicular question is not disrupted, but the BTP volition person to guarantee that postulation constabulary unit are deputed astatine the tract during highest hours connected each days for postulation management.
According to the source, astatine slightest six months volition beryllium required to implicit the full project, and this timeline volition besides beryllium communicated to the BTP.
