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Rainwater falls from road above; ‘we clear the trash ourselves’

By Yukta Mudgal

Shopkeepers and business owners near the Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway are incurring losses because of a stinking problem. Few customers visit the shops, they say, because the drainage system demolished ahead of its construction has not been rebuilt.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the expressway on March 12, 2023, in Mandya amid much fanfare.

Muniraj, who runs a scrap shop in Kumbalgodu, informed The Observer: “Mori ka bhi problem hai (there is also a problem of drainage).” Two years ago, when the highway was constructed, the authorities broke the drainage and till date they have not reconstructed it.

The Observer noticed that lack of drainage has led to the accumulation of garbage and dirty water in front of almost every shop in the highway.

The waste from an eatery flows towards Muniraj’s shop. “Many times we clean the waste ourselves,” he said.

Many shopkeepers have placed makeshift plastic and wooden bridges for customers to walk in and enter. When it rains, water falls down from the expressway, causing chaos.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), responsible for the construction of the expressway, awarded the contract to Dilip Buildcon.

The Observer contacted an official from the NHAI’s project implementation unit at Ramanagara. He said he could share any information with the media and suggested The Observer visit the