Bengaluru traffic police raise red flag over narrow Gandhi Bazaar Main Road

Gandhi Bazaar Main Rd redo almost complete; voices of protest persist. Traffic police concerned over narrowing of carriageway, which may pose risks in emergency situations. Pedestrianisation plan dropped, residents demand road be widened to 40ft.

The redoing of Gandhi Bazaar Main Road is almost complete, and it is expected to be inaugurated in a month. However, voices of protest against the project persist. The city’s traffic police have expressed concern over the narrowing of the road carriageway, especially between Gandhi Bazaar Circle and Karanji Anjaneya Circle, since it might prove to be a challenge during emergency situations.

The stretch was supposed to be “pedestrian only” with wide footpaths, but the pedestrianisation plan seems to have been dropped.

The Gandhi Bazaar Main Road, which used to see over 5,000 vehicles during peak hours before the work began, now doesn’t have a uniform road width. The stretch from Tagore Circle to Gandhi Bazaar Circle is wide, but the road narrows to 23 feet (2 lanes) from Gandhi Bazaar Circle to Karanji Anjaneya Temple and widens again.

“It is a standard practice that the width of the road carriageway has to be uniform. Now that the road has been narrowed to two lanes in the middle portion, there are concerns over handling emergency situations, like if a vehicle breaks down or there is congestion,” said M.N. Anucheth, Joint Commissioner (Traffic), Bengaluru.

Traffic police sources said twice, ambulances had got stuck in the narrow stretch. Given that there are several houses and shops on the stretch, this is a concern.

No permission was sought from the Bengaluru Traffic Police to narrow the road carriageway, sources said. “Our approval was only sought post-facto. The only permission that was sought was to white-top the road, which we gave. That did not say anything of the road carriageway being narrowed,” a senior official said.

N.S. Mukunda of Bengaluru Praja Vedike, a resident of the area who has been opposing some aspects of the project, alleged that there has been no transparency from day one.