Bengaluru Residents Protest Over Central Govt Employee's Death Due to Poor Road Conditions

BENGALURU: Hundreds of residents held a candlelight march at Ananth Nagar, near Electronics City Phase II, Wednesday evening and accused Chandapura municipal council of grave negligence that caused the fatal accident of Medha Akarsh, a central govt employee. The protesters raised slogans and demanded accountability from civic authorities for the young woman’s death.

John Athaide, member, Anekal Taluk Responsible Citizen Forum, alleged that the local MLA has been negligent towards residents. Bad roads raise safety concerns in Bengaluru. “The roads in Ananth Nagar area have gone from poor to worse over the last four years. Residents tried reaching out to Anekal MLA Shivanna, requesting to fix these roads. But he has been avoiding us. As for Chandapura Municipal Council officials, all our pleas to fix and maintain these roads fell on deaf ears,” he said.

Medha, who worked for Employee Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), fell from a two-wheeler, just about 3km from her home, while she was travelling to office with her colleague. The stretch where she fell has never been properly fixed, say residents. “I moved here 10 years ago, but there has never been a time when roads were good. Though roads were repaired almost five years ago, they were dug up multiple times after that,” said Anish, a close friend of the deceased woman.

Meenakshi V, a resident, said Medha’s death cannot be treated as a mere accident. “Authorities must be held accountable for this preventable tragedy. Action is needed immediately. School buses go through this route every day. It is a major concern for parents too when they see such accidents.” Locals blamed the municipal council for poor quality of repair work, adding that this led to the accident. “A small stretch was recently resurfaced; however, the work was substandard, with potholes reappearing within a few months. Waterlogging and damaged road surfaces have made daily commuting increasingly hazardous for motorists,” said Aji Mathai, a resident of Pride Pristine apartments.

After the protest, residents said the municipal council promised to hear their grievances and agreed to an urgent meeting with all department officials, including road contractors, Thursday morning at Ananth Nagar temple hall.