Bengaluru, 4 October

Residents of Nallurhalli in Whitefield, along with civic group Whitefield Rising, have launched a community-funded initiative to ease congestion along a 2km local road loop, beginning with the widening and concretisation of a 40-metre bottleneck on New Temple Road.

Over the past year, residents have documented traffic and infrastructure problems through surveys and traffic monitoring and held discussions with the Bengaluru East City Corporation (BECC), Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP), Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) and Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML).

A major garbage dump along the route was cleared and barricaded using funds raised by residents, while further waste accumulation identified during inspections was removed with BECC’s support.

Residents also worked with BTP to monitor evening peak-hour traffic at four key bottlenecks. Walk-throughs with BESCOM officials identified electricity poles and other infrastructure reducing available road space.

The biggest hurdle was a 40-metre stretch on New Temple Road that had remained narrow due to land and compensation issues. Following discussions, the landowner agreed to shift a retaining wall and surrender part of the frontage, allowing the road to be widened and concretised.

Groundwork has begun, with steel reinforcement laid at the site. Concrete work is scheduled to start on Sunday, with Whitefield Rising inviting residents to witness the work.

The initiative highlights a community-led effort to address local traffic and infrastructure problems in coordination with civic agencies.