The city’s flyovers and bridges could do with some attention, but their maintenance is rarely top priority for the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). Now, the BBMP plans to enlist the help of civil engineering students and professors of various colleges to inspect the structures and suggest corrective measures.
A meeting to discuss this proposal was held on Friday, along with experts from STUP Consultants Pvt. Ltd.
According to sources, the BBMP hopes the initiative will help increase the life of these structures. A highly placed official who attended the meeting told The Hindu on condition of anonymity that the BBMP would first sign a memorandum of understanding with interested colleges and the consultants.
The colleges would be assigned one or two structures close to them. Professors and college lecturers would be asked to periodically inspect these flyovers and bridges.
“After inspection, they will have to submit a survey report to the BBMP. [A] core committee will look into the report and offer recommendations to the BBMP,” the official said.
Projects
For example, the official pointed out, the BBMP took several years to finalise expansion joints to replace worn out ones on the Sirsi Circle flyover. Similarly, the Domlur flyover has developed problems in the foundation, which will affect the structure if not attended to soon. The BBMP is counting on these college reports to have complete documentation on the structures, besides preventing any deterioration.
The model may, at a later stage, be extended to roads as well, the official added.
Confirming this, BBMP Commissioner M. Lakshminarayan said that while the civic body spends a lot on infrastructure projects, not much importance is given to maintenance of existing structures. “There are several critical components, such as expansion joints and components that serve as shock absorbers, which have to be checked periodically. The college professors and lecturers may rope in their students to inspect these components and draw the attention of the BBMP to components that need to be replaced or repaired.”
He said this was a win-win proposition for both the BBMP and colleges. “While the BBMP can take corrective measures, it will also be a good project for students to study the structures. Since it is for the safety of the city, there are many colleges that are keen on collaborating with the BBMP,” he added.
