The civic body, which has missed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s deadline to fix the city’s cratered roads, has sought from the Lokayukta an extension of the deadline till October 31 to fill the remaining 12% potholes.
Taking suo motu cognisance of the issue, Lokayukta P. Vishwanatha Shetty had summoned BBMP officials for an inquiry into the matter on October 23.
Refuting claims of dereliction of duty, civic officials cited heavy rainfall and subsequent deterioration of roads as the reason for the delay. Apart from potholes — 88% of which have been filled — the civic body’s report submitted to the Lokayukta noted that of the 4,96,000 sq. m of bad reaches, 81% had been attended to.
The Lokayukta has directed the Inquiry Officer of the Lokayukta to scrutinise the report submitted by the BBMP and submit his views. “Two weeks time has been granted to file the status report from today [October 23] to show further progress in the work carried out and also to show that the assurance given has been fully complied on November 10 , 2017,” said Mr. Shetty said in his report.
‘Cannot be an excuse’
He noted that the condition of Bengaluru’s roads is a reflection of the commitment of the authorities towards the city’s growth. No doubt, there are large number of roads located within the BBMP limits, but that cannot be an excuse for not maintaining the road in good condition, Mr. Shetty noted in the report.
