Barely a month after it was asphalted and repaired, the Balagere–Panathur road stretch near Vibgyor School in AECS layout in the Bengaluru East Corporation has crumbled again, at the very spot where a school bus had toppled earlier after its wheel got stuck in an open drain.
This is at least the third time in recent months that the road condition has worsened within days of repair, with residents questioning the quality of work.
The residents told The Hindu that the damaged stretch has become difficult for vehicles to navigate and was mainly affecting the transportation of schoolchildren.
They said buses often get stuck, posing risks to children, and many parents have asked drivers to avoid entering the narrow lanes until the road stabilises. Large school buses frequently brush against parked vehicles or struggle to reverse in the confined stretch, they said.
Lekha Raj, a resident, said a reversing school bus narrowly missed hitting an elderly pedestrian recently.
Several parents were now suggesting that only smaller vehicles be allowed inside until the road was properly restored. Many children, the residents said, end up spending a significant part of their commute just getting out of the lane because the buses often take more than 30 minutes to navigate the narrow, damaged stretch and often get stuck in potholes.
“The road was asphalted recently, and MLA Manjula Aravind Limbavali’s team had taken credit for completing the work. But why has it failed again within weeks?” a resident asked, adding that this was not the first time temporary repairs had collapsed on the same spot.
Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Chief Commissioner M. Maheshwar Rao has on several occasions directed engineers to ensure that asphalting was carried out using proper materials and procedures.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has also inspected the Panathur–Balagere stretch multiple times. Yet, the residents alleged that the contractor used loose soil as the base and merely topped it with a thin layer of asphalt, which they say was the main reason for the recurring issue. They demanded a thorough review of the work and questioned why basic standards were not followed despite multiple high-level inspections.
Sudeep Bhargava, another resident, said the contractor must face tough penalties. “Such contractors must be held accountable so it sets an example,” he said, pointing out that the road was repaired barely 10 days ago and has already deteriorated. Workers have now begun yet another round of patchwork on the same stretch, he added.
Published – December 01, 2025 08:10 pm IST
