Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan Road

The Tale Of Two Peaks. Part 3. The abandoned quarry at Chickabettahalli is a large bowl spread over over a hundred acres. It is pretty enough to be developed into a public space with interesting walkways, a little lake and clever lighting at night.

But the fact is that the Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan Road is a four lane road that provides easy access to the new airport to the western part of the city. So it's not surprising that the corner of the bowl is being filled up right now to make way for future development. The cost of transporting mud and filling up this massive crater is probably lower than the market rate for the land or is it one of the site chosen for dumping the Namma Metro earthwork?

Time will tell.

Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan Road

 

Blast hole for dynamite charge.

The Tale of Two Peaks. Part 2

There's nothing as precious as a hole in ground. And the abandoned, big toilet bowl like quarries at Bettahalli, that were once the highest points in Benglur is no exception (read part 1 of the story about the twin peaks of Bettahalli here). For decades, these rocks were blasted, cut and shipped all over the city.

Artha or Money in Kannada.

There was a time when granite was very cheap in and around Benglur. Slabs were used as compound walls, fencing, culverts and you can still see some very old abandoned homes and waiting stations for bullock carts outside surrounding villages like Kodigehalli and Jalahalli that have slabs used as walls and roofs. But as Boomtown Benglur exploded in size, so did the price of this stone. It has money written all over it. And money can move mountains.

Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan Road

The Tale of Two Peaks. Part 1 Doddabettahalli and Chickabettahalli are two small villages on the newly named Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan Road (his parents live down the road towards Yelahanka) that connects Jalahalli and Yelahanka New Town. Doddabettahalli's claim to fame is its elevation. The Betta at 962 meters is officially the highest place in the Benglur region. A short walk to the south-west of Doddabettahalli is Chickabettahalli, named after the smaller of the rocky hills. However, these two spots are no longer the highest places in the city. Doddabetta and Chickabetta have disappeared. The twin peaks have been dynamited and cut into boulders, slabs and jelly to provide the foundation of the houses we live in. You can go to Google Earth and measure the current elevation of the place. It's now lower than the spot behind the Kempegowda Tower at Mekhri Circle. If you want to visit this place, you can take Route 401 from Yehahanka or Yeshwantpur and get off at the Jelly Machine Bus Stop. You can't miss the quarry. These pictures were shot within the bowl, the abandoned quarry, that was once the smaller peak or Chicka Betta. This schoolboy who came to check out what I was doing is Phantoosh. (A name also shared by the character in Britannia Treat biscuit ads). He's been in Benglur for 2 years now and lives with his father in his shop on the main road. The rest of the family is back home in Bihar. Phantoosh studies at the local English medium school, where he also learns Kannada. This abandoned quarry is the community laundry and toilet. It's probably Benglur's second biggest toilet bowl. The quarry at Doddabettahalli would be the largest. Here are some jaw dropping beautiful pictures clicked by friends who accompanied me and clicked pictures of the place: Renith Valsaraj Vivek Dhage