Concrete blocks on BRTS pose danger to motorists

HUBBALLI:

Concrete blocks

placed as a divider on the Hubballi-Dharwad

BRTS

stretch is posing a huge danger for

motorists

. The blocks have been knocked out of line and are difficult to spot in the night.

With BRTS work dragging on at a snail’s pace, there appears no end in sight to woes of commuters and motorists on the stretch. Workers have haphazardly-placed blocks — placed as a divider below the grills — in many locations, including in front of BRTS bus stop, near the KIMS hospital, in front of Reliance Digital showroom.

TOI spoke to many motorists on the stretch who expressed their ire at the BRTS officials and the traffic police. “One can hardly notice the blocks in the night as there are no street lights and the area is poorly lit,” said Shankar Patil, a resident of Unkal area.

“It’s nearly impossible to spot the blocks from the beam of our headlights. And if you happen to follow a heavy vehicle, then it’s even more dangerous. It is nothing but the utter negligence on the part of BRTS officials.”

Nagabhushan Swamy, a private company employee and a regular commuter on the stretch said: “The BRTS stretch has been turned into a death trap. The haphazardly-placed concrete blocks are a deadly danger to motorists. BRTS has a fresh deadline to complete work by November 1. So officials are throwing all caution to the wind and neglecting minor, but crucial work. This could turn into a major disaster.”

B S Nemagoud, deputy commissioner of police (traffic), told TOI that he will ensure BRTS officials remove the blocks immediately. BRTS officials were unavailable for comment despite repeated efforts to contact them.