Blurb
A vital 400-metre stretch in east Bengaluru has become a symbol of civic apathy, disrupting commutes, businesses and daily life for thousands of residents.
CH NEWS
BENGALURU:
For residents of Bengaluru’s eastern suburbs, the 400-metre Gunjur Club House Road has become a daily ordeal, with dust clouds, deep craters and unfinished civic works turning a crucial connector into a hazardous stretch.
The road, which links Gunjur with Varthur, Sarjapur Road and the Outer Ring Road, has remained in poor condition for nearly two years. What should be a key urban corridor now resembles an unpaved track littered with excavated soil, loose jelly stones and uneven surfaces, making travel difficult for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists alike.
The deteriorating road has also affected local businesses. A woman entrepreneur said she was forced to shut her restaurant after customers stopped visiting because of the unbearable dust. Having taken a loan to establish the business, she now prepares food inside the closed restaurant and sells it from a roadside cart nearby to meet her monthly loan repayments.
“The dust is so severe that everything gets covered within seconds whenever a vehicle passes. People avoid even walking on this road,” she said, adding that maintaining hygiene has become an uphill task despite her best efforts.
The stretch serves several apartment complexes, schools and commercial establishments, making it one of the busiest internal roads in the locality. Residents describe every journey as a “roller-coaster ride”, with vehicles constantly jolting over potholes and loose gravel.
Ongoing stormwater drain works have further narrowed the carriageway, aggravating congestion and leaving behind open excavations. During the monsoon, many of these pits fill with rainwater, making them difficult to spot and increasing the risk of accidents.
The issue recently drew the attention of Greater Bengaluru Authority Chief Commissioner M. Maheshwar Rao, who inspected the site along with officials of the Bengaluru East City Corporation and directed them to speed up the works.
Officials said the absence of a proper stormwater drainage network has led to repeated damage to the road. They assured residents that once the drainage project is completed, the road will be fully restored, providing a long-term solution.
However, residents remain sceptical after months of delays, saying they have repeatedly raised complaints with little visible progress on the ground.
Box
Residents say Gunjur Club House Road has been in a deplorable condition for over two years, posing serious health and safety risks. Stormwater drain work that began in January has remained incomplete, leaving behind open pits, craters and thick dust. During rains, the water-filled potholes become nearly invisible, increasing the danger for motorists and pedestrians. “This has become a daily struggle for schoolchildren, senior citizens, pregnant women and commuters. Despite repeated protests and complaints, there has been little improvement,” said local resident Navdeep Singh.
