Bengaluru: Traders and office-goers on New Diagonal Road in Jayanagar raised concerns over a 10-day road closure because of white-topping work, which is yet to begin.While traffic has been blocked on one section of the road for the past 10 days, utility shifting and construction of an underground stormwater drain have disrupted traffic movement on the stretch for over three months, residents said.A group of residents raised the issue Thursday, questioning the need to keep a portion of the road shut when no work is being carried out.Ajay Malik, a resident, said people are willing to cooperate if work is underway. “A portion of New Diagonal Road has been closed for traffic, forcing us to park our vehicles away from our offices and shops. There is no work going on currently, nor are vehicles being allowed to ply,” he said.Traffic police personnel told residents that permission had been granted for a three-month closure from the first week of Oct, based on a request from Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Limited (B-Smile). They said the road will be reopened after that unless a fresh request is received.After citizens contacted B-Smile’s executive engineer in charge of the project, they were assured that the road would reopen until civil works begin Monday. The executive engineer said white-topping could be completed in less than a week once work starts, followed by a curing period of about 21 days.“Since we faced shortage of labourers during the festive season, work has been delayed by a few days. I have asked the contractor to open up the cross roads to reduce inconvenience to residents and commuters,” she added.Several roads in Jayanagar, including Aurobindo Marg, Maiya’s Hotel Road and Diagonal Road, are undergoing white-topping.
