Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) has begun the long-delayed work on removing encroachments on Azeez Sait Double Road and asphalting the pothole-ridden stretch.
The authorities, who took up a drive to remove encroachments on the road by shops and other businesses with police security on Tuesday, were seen levelling and readying the stretch for development by deploying various equipment for debris removal on Wednesday.
Though a section of the shop owners resisted the encroachment removal drive, the local representatives, including Deputy Mayor Anwar Baig and corporator Ayaz Pasha, prevailed upon the people to cooperate. Though many encroachments have been removed, a few shop owners have sought one or two days’ time to voluntarily remove their structures jutting on to the road.
Shivakumar, Assistant Commissioner of Zone 8, told The Hindu that removal of encroachments would help widen the road and in the filling up of potholes and laying asphalt. Though an amount of ₹2.5 crore was sanctioned about three years ago, the work had begun with the construction of a roadside drain, only to be disrupted and kept pending.
With the removal of encroachments, Mr. Shivakumar said the authorities would have a carriageway of 12 to 13 metres on either side of the divider at most places even if the entire stretch was not uniform in width.
The encroachment removal and asphalting work will now be limited to the deplorable stretch of about 1.2 km between Shantinagar I Cross to Hilltop Bar on Azeez Sait Double Road, which is also called as Mahadevapura Main Road.
After completing the exercise, the portion of the road between Udaygiri Circle and Shantinagar I Cross will also be taken up for development so that the entire stretch, from Forum Mall to Outer Ring Road, will afford a smooth ride for motorists, he said.
Mr. Shivakumar sought to clarify that the MCC authorities were not technically carrying out road widening by acquiring land adjoining the road. The present exercise is to free the existing road of encroachments and asphalt it.
About a month ago, local residents staged a protest over the poor condition of the road, contending that the authorities had ignored the stretch for almost eight years, leading to several road accidents. Meanwhile, the road that passes through the thickly populated areas of Narasimharaja Assembly constituency had also witnessed a huge rise in vehicular traffic.
