BANGALORE: Imagine Koramangala in peak hours. The long queues of vehicles, shoppers galore, eat outs packed with customers. Add to the scene of chaos, the installation of electric cables by the Bangalore Electric Supply Company (BESCOM) and visualise the misery the pedestrians and commuters alike had to go through due to this ‘helpful’ act of the authorities.BESCOM chose to repair and reconstruct an electric pole that had broken down and install new cables on Marigowda Road in close proximity to Christ University at hours between 3 pm and 6 pm when Koramangala scrambles to even make way for vehicles and people.While the act by the authorities itself stands for the development and growth of the area, pedestrians were severely affected due to the same. Some said that the workers near the area instructed them not to walk within five feet of the work that was going on. But the problem lies in the fact that the pedestrian path is barely 3 feet wide which lead the pedestrians to fight their way amidst the vehicles for several metres.A motorist on the road, Suresh, said, “Pedestrians had to walk on the road. The repair work had stretched across almost 30 to 40 feet. as a result forcing people to get down on the road and walk. This made traversing very difficult for us. Someone could have got injured.”The chopping down of several plants in the area of the work has also left the environmentalists fuming. “It’s bad enough that they are cutting down all these tress. What’s worse is the way they work. Be it the loose wires that were left hanging or the branches that were discarded haphazardly, its high time that they do a neat job of what they are doing, ” Anagha said.The work also led to traffic jams. A pedestrian on the road, Gowri, while returning from the mall, remarked, “I was walking towards the bus stop at around 4 pm. While walking, a slight shock left my hand numb for the next 10-15 minutes.”Another pedestrian on the road suggested that the work could have been undertaken in the night when traffic would have been less comparatively.The BESCOM officer for the area is Manoj Shetty. He informed City Express that he regretted the severe inconvenience that was caused. “I do realise the issues and the hassles people had to go through because of the work. I will ensure that a situation like this won’t repeat again.”
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