Bengaluru: A stretch beneath the Silkboard flyover at Madiwala bus stop, one of the city’s most frequented transit points has turned into a pedestrian nightmare, say commuters. The 400-metre service road stretch starting from Silk Board signal towards St Johns Hospital is filled with piles of garbage and poor footpath conditions. This has made the area not just inconvenient but also dangerous.A reality check by TOI revealed dangerous and unhygienic conditions. A section of the iron fencing was completely cut, leaving the entry open with no footpath or streetlights, posing a high risk of people tripping, especially at night. At the start of the service road, a huge garbage heap and a stretch of sewage with black water flowing force pedestrians to cover their noses and walk on the road. With the bus stop damaged, commuters are often seen waiting on the road, dangerously close to moving traffic. The bus stop sees heavy footfall from passengers travelling to Koramangala and MG Road, and is a key interchange for those heading to Marathahalli and HSR Layout. Ragavendra Kotian, 50, a daily commuter from Harlur to Silk Board, said officials’ negligence makes the situation worse. “There is no space for pedestrians as the entire stretch is blocked, with even BBMP trucks parked there. It’s extremely dangerous, especially for senior citizens, and during peak hours, people are forced to stand for long periods amid heavy traffic. Dust, garbage dumping, and poor maintenance have only made things worse.“S Pradeep, organising secretary of HSR Layout Federation and a regular commuter to Koramangala, added: “A section of the fencing has been cut, water stagnates on the road, and there are no functioning streetlights, making it especially dangerous at night. I lodged a complaint with BBMP in July through the helpline, but officials are not responding and the problem remains unsolved.” One of the commuters said she tweeted about the issue but got no reply from BBMP, while traffic police blamed Metro work — though none is happening there. A senior BBMP official said they haven’t received any complaints so far and will look into the issue. The residents, however, countered: “Most of the lower-rung officials deny receiving complaints. We request BBMP chief commissioner Maheshwar Rao or DCM DK Shivakumar visit the spot before a tragedy strikes this rainy season. We will approach them.”QuotesSuresh Prakash, 59-year-oldI often use Madiwala bus stop to change over to Billekahalli when travelling from Electronics City, Whitefield, and HSR Layout. The bus stop has been in bad condition with filth around. Despite multiple complaints, officials always attribute the reason to Metro construction. It’s just that authorities don’t bother to resolve the issue. Even footpaths for pedestrians are dirty and scary.Uma Mani, 52, regular commuterUnder the flyover, a BBMP waste segregation point keeps rubbish trucks and autos parked all day, while the crumbling compound wall, pothole-ridden footpath, and broken fencing force pedestrians, many with children, onto busy traffic. Safety is ignored. Working-class commuters can’t voice their concerns, so the mess remains. It’s scary to watch and urgently needs fixing.Box 1: What do residents wantRepair and restore broken fencing behind the bus stop to prevent open, unsafe accessClear garbage and sewage from the service road and ensure regular waste managementInstall and maintain streetlights to improve night-time safety, especially for pedestriansProvide proper footpaths and bus stop infrastructure to keep commuters off the road
