White-topped roads, which are intended to offer a smoother commuting experience for Bengaluru’s citizens, have instead turned into a battleground between the East City Corporation and the Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP).
For over a month now, several neighbourhoods in East Bengaluru, particularly around Balagere, have been choked during peak hours, with commuters left with very few road options. The primary reason: the closure of a key stretch for ongoing white-topping work on Panathur Road.
Since the first week of October, the entire stretch, including all entry points from connecting roads, has been barricaded by the BTP. Although it was scheduled to reopen on November 1, the deadline was missed. Adding to the chaos, more than five roads within a 10-km radius of this crucial stretch are also closed for similar works.
The traffic restriction on the Panathur Road has forced commuters, especially during peak hours, to seek any possible alternative routes, the latest being a mud track, which went viral on social media, that is not even a proper road.
Problem and blame game
The real problem for the civic body arose when commuters began using a freshly white-topped 2-km stretch between Balagere T. Cross and Panathur RUB before the curing period was complete. Road users moved the barricades, removed safety fences, and started using the road prematurely.
Frustrated by this, the East City Corporation wrote to the Whitefield Traffic Police, stating, “If the road suffers damage or deteriorates before the end of the Defect Liability Period (DLP), the BTP must take accountability, as vehicles have been using the stretch.”
In response, the BTP said, “We have been regulating traffic, but apartment residents continue to use the lane. We are responsible for traffic regulation, not quality assurance.”
Defence
An engineer from the East City Corporation explained that the quality of white-topped roads depends not only on the quality of laying, but also on effective curing. “Without proper curing, if vehicles use the road, the pressure affects the surface quality. The Civic body works are often labelled as poor, and if this road deteriorates, we’ll be blamed even after doing our part,” the engineer said.
A senior police officer told The Hindu that while the BTP had blocked the main road with barricades, smaller link roads from nearby apartments caused the issue. “There are over five apartment complexes along the stretch whose residents have no other routes due to poor connectivity. When the white-topping work was delayed, they grew frustrated and started removing barricades to use the road,” the officer explained.
“We can deploy officers only on the main stretch, not at every apartment road. Quality engineers from the civic body are present daily and could restrict the movement, but they expect us to do it,” he added.
The issue might not have arisen at all had there been better coordination among civic parastatals, the very reason the Greater Bengaluru Authority and smaller corporations were created. The delay in white-topping is primarily due to last-minute works taken up by the Bescom and KPTCL. This event also highlights the consequences of poor road networks, a persistent challenge in areas beyond the Outer Ring Road, Bengaluru’s tech corridor.
Published – November 11, 2025 08:58 pm IST
