The footpath, adjacent to the burial ground of a minority community, is not fit for use. The problem with the footpath is that a portion of it is occupied by a businessman. It is not advisable for those pedestrians coming from the Old Madras Road towards Ulsoor to consider the footpath as safe for them. The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) contractor had no time to complete the pending work of the footpath.

“The work has been pending for many months. The contractor did not turn up to complete the pending work,” said Ramesh, who works at nearby woodworks.

The pedestrians have to get down from the footpath and walk on the road due to incomplete work of the footpath. “One has to be extra cautious before getting down from the footpath. It would be difficult to use the road during peak hours,” said Shantamma, a flower vendor.

With the development of potholes on a portion of the road, most of the motorists stray to the other side of the road  to avoid the potholes, thus causing inconvenience for other motorists coming from the Old Madras Road.

“Two BMTC buses almost collided last week, when one of the driver tried to use the other side of the road,” said Manikyam, a resident of Lakshmipuram. Meanwhile, Nagendrappa, Executive Engineer of BBMP has expressed ignorance on the existence of potholes on Swami Vivekananda Road. He also said that no one has brought this problem to his notice. “I will depute my deputy to the spot immediately. I will ensure the completion of the pending footpath work,” he said.

However, Savitha Ramesh, Corproator of Hoyasalanagar, attributed the ongoing Namma Metro work as the reason for the potholes on Swami Vivekananda Road. “Due to the ongoing Metro work, the traffic police have diverted the movement of vehicles to this road. We will asphalt the road as soon as Metro work is completed,” said Savitha.