Absence of streetlights, badly-maintained roads inhibiting Hebbal's growth

BENGALURU: Life has improved for residents of Hebbal in the past few years ever since it became a destination for commercial property. It can boast of more flyovers than any other area in the city. A home to Manyata Tech Park, which houses IT companies, Hebbal would offer a decent life for its residents if not for the increasing number of stray dogs, lack of streetlights and potholed roads.

Due to the increasing amount of gar bage, street dogs are on a rise, says A Veerabhadra Reddy, a resident. "The Guddadahalli Circle is a playground for street dogs. Although the Solid Waste Management Round Table [SWMRT] cleans the garbage dump regularly, the local people dump too much garbage in too many areas," he said. Additionally, lack of streetlights make the area unsafe for women.

Also, for an area which is majorly residential, Hebbal's roads might give you an unpleasant surprise. There have been instances where cars and two-wheelers have been damaged because of the terrible condition of the roads. Auto driver Subbarayappa is worried about roads full of potholes, which bothers him as well as his passengers.

The travails are not just for vehicle drivers. The pedestrian crossing near the Esteem Mall at the Kempapura Junction, where an accident involving a water tank killed two persons a month ago, continues to be a nightmare for pe destrians. Residents say footpaths need to be rebuilt.

Drivers often ignore traffic signals without any regard for pedestrians' safety, says Andal Jaganathan, a resident at Godrej Woodsman Estate. "The traffic pileup at Hebbal flyover is torturous as the flyover is narrow and unable to handle the volume of traffic coming in from the six-lane Bellary Road," she said.