Bengaluru: A day after a private school bus carrying children partially toppled into a drain on Panathur–Balagere Road, DS Ramesh, east city commissioner, conducted an inspection of the area Saturday. He has directed officials to expedite the long-delayed road widening and culvert works.Commissioner Ramesh highlighted that the 18-metre road widening proposal for this busy stretch has been delayed due to land acquisition challenges. He instructed engineers to accelerate the acquisition process through Transferable Development Rights (TDR) and prioritize the completion of the project. Ramesh noted at the exact location where the school bus incident occurred, compound walls have already been demolished to facilitate the road widening, and work has commenced.Dakshayini, joint commissioner of the east city corporation, who was part of the inspection team, stated they also examined the adjacent roads connecting to Panathur-Balagere road, including Vibgyor Road. “Multiple civic works are currently underway, including stormwater drain works and demolition of properties for road widening. Continuous rains have forced us to halt the works temporarily. However, these projects will be prioritized and completed at the earliest,” she said.Regarding the potential deadline, Dakshayini mentioned, “According to our engineers’ inputs, if the weather permits full-time work, all civic works should be completed, and a proper wide road will be made possible within a month’s time.”The commissioner has also sought assistance from traffic police to manage and, if necessary, divert traffic on this road to ensure the works are completed within the set deadline.During the inspection, Ramesh also observed stormwater drains along the road were clogged, leading to waterlogging during rains. He directed the immediate removal of encroachments and silt from rajakaluve to ensure free water flow into Varthur Lake.
