BENGALURU: Lined with luxury labels and vibrant cafes, the intersection of Vittal Mallya Road and Lavelle Road in central Bengaluru is one of the most-happening junctions. It has also earned the moniker of ‘Supercar Street’ as Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and Porsches vroom around. But the posh street has a problem: Gaping potholes!
The opening of Lavelle Road (towards Richmond Circle) is so badly damaged that even vehicles with the best suspension systems are forced to drop their speed to less than 5kmph to avoid damage to tyres while negotiating the craters.Ironically, the intersection is barely 2km from both Vidhana Soudha (from where the Bengaluru development minister operates) and BBMP headquarters.
In fact, the Lavelle Road-Vittal Mallya Road intersection is constantly dogged by some civic problem or the other. “Now with rain, potholes are surfacing again,” said Gerald Dsouza, a resident.
Recurring potholes in the posh locality have baffled many. Bettina Mueller, a German living in the city for two years, said, “It is very bad… not good at all. Whenever I cross this road in my car, the vehicle jumps so much. I have back pain now.” Associating this with the recent showers, she added, “The rain has made it so much worse; water gets collected here.”
Recounting that a drain was dug up at the intersection a few months ago and fixed recently, she said: “Potholes seem to be the next problem.”
When TOI visited the road, it was damaged in two places: One, a pothole measuring nearly 2ft in width and 5 inches in depth; another was a stone slab jutting out in the middle of the road.
Divya, a yoga studio owner, said the situation is worse around 8am and 3pm every day, when school buses cross this area. “Even pedestrians aren’t safe from this pothole. One of my students was walking to my studio and twisted their ankle because of it.”
A tourist, who didn’t want to be identified, said, “This area being so posh, we see so many fancy cars and so many fancy places. But these potholes are not a good look.”
Avnish, a private firm executive, said the prolonged existence of these potholes in an upmarket location raises questions about the maintenance standards of the city’s roads. “Prompt attention from the local authorities is required to address this issue and ensure the safety and convenience of everyone.”
When contacted, BBMP officials said they were unaware of the potholes. “We’ve filled up all potholes, maybe this was damaged by the recent rain. We’ll attend to the problem immediately,” said a senior BBMP official.
— Surpriya Behera
The opening of Lavelle Road (towards Richmond Circle) is so badly damaged that even vehicles with the best suspension systems are forced to drop their speed to less than 5kmph to avoid damage to tyres while negotiating the craters.Ironically, the intersection is barely 2km from both Vidhana Soudha (from where the Bengaluru development minister operates) and BBMP headquarters.
In fact, the Lavelle Road-Vittal Mallya Road intersection is constantly dogged by some civic problem or the other. “Now with rain, potholes are surfacing again,” said Gerald Dsouza, a resident.
Recurring potholes in the posh locality have baffled many. Bettina Mueller, a German living in the city for two years, said, “It is very bad… not good at all. Whenever I cross this road in my car, the vehicle jumps so much. I have back pain now.” Associating this with the recent showers, she added, “The rain has made it so much worse; water gets collected here.”
Recounting that a drain was dug up at the intersection a few months ago and fixed recently, she said: “Potholes seem to be the next problem.”
When TOI visited the road, it was damaged in two places: One, a pothole measuring nearly 2ft in width and 5 inches in depth; another was a stone slab jutting out in the middle of the road.
Divya, a yoga studio owner, said the situation is worse around 8am and 3pm every day, when school buses cross this area. “Even pedestrians aren’t safe from this pothole. One of my students was walking to my studio and twisted their ankle because of it.”
A tourist, who didn’t want to be identified, said, “This area being so posh, we see so many fancy cars and so many fancy places. But these potholes are not a good look.”
Avnish, a private firm executive, said the prolonged existence of these potholes in an upmarket location raises questions about the maintenance standards of the city’s roads. “Prompt attention from the local authorities is required to address this issue and ensure the safety and convenience of everyone.”
When contacted, BBMP officials said they were unaware of the potholes. “We’ve filled up all potholes, maybe this was damaged by the recent rain. We’ll attend to the problem immediately,” said a senior BBMP official.
— Surpriya Behera
