Its a case of so near and yet so far away. The Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) may have fulfilled the city's aspirations for better air connectivity with other cities around the country and the globe, but closer to home it has made it difficult for relatives and friends living on either side of the Bellary Road which has seen tremendoous growth in traffic in the years it has been around, to even meet as often as they'd like.
The mammoth ongoing development work between the Hebbal flyover and the airport has disrupted lives of the people living alongside the road in ways they could not have imagined. “In the past we visited my daughter living in Kempapura village of Hebbal almost every day by just crossing the road. But today we have to walk 2 kms to reach the other end of the road since it has been barricaded for the last two years,” grumbles Sumalatha of Byatarayanapura, off Bellary Road. Rather than take the trouble, they have cut down the visits, much like several other people living here, who are waiting it out patiently for their lives to return to normal.
The NHAI , which is building three elevated highways and underpasses between BIA and the Hebbal flyover to ensure a signal- free drive to it, has done little to ease the inconvenience caused to both pedestrians and people living in the vicinity while the work gets underway. With the construction creating bottlenecks and barricades placed on many of the stretches , pedestrians are forced to walk an extra mile to simply get across the road.
“Crossing Bellary Road near Amruthhalli is a nightmare for the elderly and school children. Often airport going taxis don't stop at Pelican Lights and zoom ahead before the signal can turn green. The police claim to be doing their job, but dont seem to be able to keep the speeding vehicles under check,” says Mr Najundaswamy of Kodigehalli.
The problem is genuine as over 30,000 vehicles make their way to the airport every day on Bellary Road which also sees heavy traffic heading for Hyderabad. With most international flights landing at night, there is little respite for the people at this late hour too. Traffic expert, M N Sreehari says Union government regulations make it mandatory for developers to make alternative arrangements for commuters and pedestrians while projects are undeway. “Separate funds are allotted for this,” he notes. So what has become of the funds this time? Or dont the authorities care for commuter convenience at all?