Another deadline to make Bengaluru roads motorable has passed and the civic body has claimed that most roads are pothole free. However, not only are citizens saying that BBMP’s claim is far from reality, but the arrival of north-east monsoon is also raising questions over the sustenance of the newly filled potholes as well as its impact on ongoing work.
Nitin Seshadri, a Koramangala resident, said: “100 Ft. Road has many potholes. Temporary patchwork was done in only some parts of the neighbourhood. But with rain predicted, that too will be washed away.”
Adike Venkatesulu, a resident of Rajarajeshwari Nagar, said BBMP workers were still filling potholes on Tuesday. “Mysuru Road is a lot better now. In R.R. Nagar, there are still some potholes on Model Road and Corporation Bank Road. But not much work has been taken up in interior roads,” he said.
A resident of Whitefield said: “The potholes on Vibgyor School road and Thubarahalli extension has been causing major traffic jams. Also, driving on interior roads is difficult. Narayanpura Road, ECC Road, TZed Road and Outer Circle Road are in bad shape.”
But BBMP Commissioner N. Manjunath Prasad said the major challenge was on bigger roads. “The state of ward roads is not such as an issue as the road quality is better because of less vehicular movement,” he said.
Mayor R. Sampath Raj added that if any of the potholes filled were washed away because of rains, it was the responsibility of the contractor to refill them.
Be a pothole reporter
Meanwhile, the civic body has announced a new app to help citizens become a ‘pothole reporter’, which will go live later this week. Citizens can click pictures of the pothole and send it along with location.
“These images will go directly to the engineer concerned and we will fix it within 48 hours,” Mr. Prasad said.
