Broken and weak road gratings on Bengaluru’s Nrupathunga Road are putting motorists and pedestrians at risk, with traffic police placing barriers around damaged sections on the busy Central Business District corridor. Commuters said complaints about the hazard remained unresolved for four days before the reported intervention.
The affected stretch was developed under the TenderSURE project, which aimed to upgrade roads and public infrastructure in central Bengaluru. Two-wheeler riders have raised particular concern over the poor condition of the gratings, saying the damaged sections could cause accidents and disrupt movement along the road.
Traffic police have placed barriers around the broken gratings to caution motorists. The temporary measure has been introduced near the Treasury Department office, where commuters said the hazard had created a serious risk but had not yet caused an injury.
“I am shocked to see broken gratings on this road. It seems the authorities, especially the engineer, did not test the quality of the gratings. Now, we are suffering because of their negligence and perfunctory attitude,” commuter Narayanaswamy N said.
Motorist Mohan Kumar blamed what he described as poor maintenance by the then Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike engineers. He called on the Greater Bengaluru Authority Chief Commissioner to hold accountable the officials responsible for installing the gratings.
“Though Nrupathunga Road was developed under the TenderSURE project, there is nothing to celebrate about the quality of gratings and the condition of footpaths,” Kumar said. He also asked authorities to clean and improve the pedestrian usability of the footpath, particularly the stretch between the KR Circle underpass and the Public Works Department office.
Commuter Sudarshan M said travelling on Nrupathunga Road had become dangerous. “Fortunately, no one was injured by the broken grating in front of the Treasury Department office,” he said, urging authorities to enforce stricter quality control while procuring gratings.
The complaints raise concerns about both the durability of street-level infrastructure and the response time for fixing hazards on a high-traffic road. The issue also follows an earlier Bangalore Mirror report published on January 25, 2026, about repeated failures of newly installed gratings on Swami Vivekananda Road. That report had highlighted similar concerns across parts of the central business district, including MG Road, Brigade Road and Residency Road.
The BCCC Executive Engineer for Shivajinagar said replacement work would be taken up immediately. The official said the repair would have to be carried out at night because vehicular movement on Nrupathunga Road would make daytime work difficult, and added that the problem would be fixed without delay.
