Broken footpaths, poor lighting plague busy SJP Road stretch in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: A short walk turns into an obstacle course on Silver Jubilee Park Road near KR Market, where shoppers struggle past broken slabs, open drains and dark patches.SJP Road, home to over 2,000 shops and popularly known as Spare Parts Road, continues to be plagued with damaged footpaths months after pipeline works. From Oct-end to early Nov 2025, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) dug up the roads to lay 900mm sewage pipes and removed slabs for desilting. Nearly three months later, footpaths remain unrestored.
From KR Market bus stop to Town Hall, TOI found at least seven such spots, forcing people to walk on roads, feeling unsafe.Ravindra, a shopkeeper, said: "I fell in the drain recently and had to visit the hospital for a week every day for dressing. This is the situation we are facing, and there can be another victim soon if the issue is not fixed."Amit B, a welding equipment trader for the last 20 years, said: "Earlier I had 10 staff, including six women, and now only three women work with me as many left the job due to such unsafe conditions. We filed multiple complaints and met officials many times, but departments kept passing the buck or cited lack of funds. After chasing this for years, I lost patience gave up."Ali Asgar Gheewala, a 42-year-old hardware store owner trading for the last 50 years, said: "We deal in bulky goods that require larger vehicles, but with no proper access path, dispatches are getting affected and customer footfall dropped drastically."Rahul B Goyal, vice president, Karnataka Hardware & Allied Merchants Association, said: "Many two-wheelers skid and fall. Labourers find it difficult to bring materials and deliver them via pushcart to the main road, since auto tempos/transport aggregators refuse to enter the area. The ongoing work has resulted in a lot of dust, along with debris and rubbish strewn around. It would be good if they put cement on the dug-up portions and introduce mechanised sweeping along with door-to-door waste collection here."A senior official from Bengaluru Central city corporation said: "BWSSB took a month to repair the pipes and solve the sewage-leaking issue. Initially, work was delayed because the five corporations split. We are working on this and we will complete it soon."Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Holi wishes, messages and quotes !