‘Why are our roads like this?’: Bengaluru kids pen poem to PM, CM over crumbling roads in Judicial Layout

Residents of Judicial Layout in Bengaluru expressed urgent concerns about deteriorating roads, calling for accountability from local authorities.

In one of Bengaluru’s most elite neighbourhoods, Judicial Layout, residents are fighting a daily battle not with traffic, but with the very roads beneath their feet. The area, home to judges, IAS officers, and senior government officials, has become a symbol of civic neglect, with roads so broken that even children have taken up poetry to voice their frustration, sending heartfelt verses to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) begging for better roads.

Bengaluru's Judicial Layout residents, including children, voiced concerns over broken roads, which they described as dangerous.

Located near Thalaghattapura off Kanakapura Road, Judicial Layout falls under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) limits. But the conditions are far from "greater". Roads are perpetually dug up, patched with mud, and left to erode with the rains, forming deep, water-filled craters. Residents describe the commute as nothing short of a death trap.

Children, navigating these treacherous routes daily, have put their disappointment into rhyme, composing poems about potholes and poor infrastructure. “Wherever we see, there are potholes, pits, stones and mud. My father pays taxes. My mother also pays taxes…We pay taxes for petrol, cake, water, electricity…But still, why are our roads like this?” the poem read.

It ended with a simple but powerful question: “When will our roads be repaired?”

Resident Sujai Kumar from Provident Park Square Apartments in Judicial Layout said the issue is urgent. “It is a ticking time bomb, and a potential threat to the safety of residents considering there are so many apartment complexes, schools and so many government officials residing. We need accountability from the local bodies. It's a shame in spite of such high profile people living in the neighbourhood the road is in such bad condition,” he said.

Civic activist Sandeep Anirudhan blamed deep-rooted governance failures. “It is apparent that the existing system is flawed, it is broken, and it doesn't bring about necessary outcomes, such as good quality construction, monitoring, and maintenance,” he said.

He suggested systemic reforms, including transparent road maintenance contracts, display boards with contact details for accountability, and decentralised monitoring at the ward level as ordered by the High Court in 2019.