Can all potholes be filled in 15 days?

At least twice in the past two months, BBMP had promised to fill up potholes in 15 days

October 09, 2017 10:38 pm | Updated October 10, 2017 08:32 am IST

 The ongoing Metro construction work and heavy rains have turned the stretch from Nayandahalli towards Rajarajeshwarinagar Gate unmotorable.

The ongoing Metro construction work and heavy rains have turned the stretch from Nayandahalli towards Rajarajeshwarinagar Gate unmotorable.

Will motorists, struggling to navigate the pothole-riddled roads in Bengaluru, see smoother roads in 15 days? Not many are ready to buy the promise made by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday. For, the civic agency in charge of road management Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had promised at least twice in the past two months to fill up potholes in 15 days.

Traffic expert M.N. Sreehari said that the only reason the same promises were repeated every year was because of the poor quality of the roads built. "The Union Ministry of Roads, Transport and Highways has specified regulations on constructing roads. If they are followed, the roads will last for years," said Mr. Sreehari. He points out that the Nelamangala-Tumakuru road, which too has been battered by rains, has not had much damage. "However, in India we want to generate bills every two or three years. So nothing changes," he said.

 Police stopped traffic at Rajarajeshwarinagar Gate on Monday for the Chief Minister’s inspection of Mysuru Road up to Jnanabharathi Gate. But the CM headed back towards the city after reaching Nayandahalli.

Police stopped traffic at Rajarajeshwarinagar Gate on Monday for the Chief Minister’s inspection of Mysuru Road up to Jnanabharathi Gate. But the CM headed back towards the city after reaching Nayandahalli.

 

N.S. Mukunda, founder of Citizens Action Forum, said that the number of potholes the BBMP has claimed was a vast underestimation. "There are definitely more than 16,000 potholes in the city, or else they are only counting the crater sized ones," he said, "What needs to be done is to see that the work is done properly and those who have not done work properly are blacklisted."

He pointed out that many roads had been languishing without repairs. "The metro station on K.R. Road was completed a year back and even trains are run, but the road is still half done," he pointed out.

Meanwhile, many citizens took to Twitter to express their disbelief at the claim. "Bangalore people, remember the date. 25 October 2017," tweeted blogger Nandita Iyer.

On Sunday, a woman who was seated behind a scooter died as the rider tried to navigate a bad stretch of road near Nayandahalli junction. This was the third pothole-related death in a week in the city. The previous Tuesday, a couple lost their life and their child escaped with minor injuries after their scooter hit a pothole on Mysuru Road.

 The ongoing Metro construction work and heavy rains have turned the stretch from Nayandahalli towards Rajarajeshwarinagar Gate unmotorable.

The ongoing Metro construction work and heavy rains have turned the stretch from Nayandahalli towards Rajarajeshwarinagar Gate unmotorable.

 

On Monday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah along with BBMP Commissioner Manjunath N. Prasad, Mayor Sampath Raj and BBMP officials visited the sites where three persons lost their lives in pothole-related deaths.

Mayor R. Sampath Raj said, “We have decided to repair roads without waiting for the rain to stop so that no more lives are lost.”

The BBMP has issued contracts to fill potholes on 3,081.49 km of road and claims that 2,374.79 km of road is pothole-free, out of a total of 13,474.94 km.

Situation worsened by Metro work

With ongoing metro work and heavy rain in the last few weeks eroding the road surface, motorists have had a tough time travelling by Mysuru Road. In many stretches, the top surface has completely eroded.

BMRCL Managing Director Pradeep Singh Kharola said that repairs on the stretch that was under the BMRCL would start immediately. "We will start work today itself," said Mr. Kharola.

Crores allotted for SWD works

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced on Monday that several crores of funds would be allotted for flood-related and desilting works in priority areas. This included ₹30 crore for K.R. Puram, ₹25 crore for H.S.R. Layout, ₹25 crore for Koramangala and ₹20 crore in Yeshwantpur. Another ₹20 crore has been allotted by the State government to procure two more robotic excavators to add to the three already in use in the city.

White topping works inaugurated

Bengaluru Development Minister K.J. George inaugurated white-topping works on 29 major roads in the city, a stretch of 93 km, on Monday.

"We have chosen six lanes near Majestic area to begin the project," said BBMP Commissioner N. Manjunath Prasad.

Mr. George said that in future, all major roads in the city would be white topped as these roads lasted longer than bitumen roads.

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