On September 1, Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike Commissioner Siddaiah vowed to make Bangalore pothole-free in 15 days.
It filled optimists with hope. The deadline has come and gone. But the potholes remain.
Now, the BBMP says it needs a few more days to fulfil Mr. Siddaiah's promise. Special Commissioner K.R. Niranjan told The Hindu that the pothole-filling work would intensify over the next 10 days. “The engineering division is making good progress. However, it is difficult to ensure that new potholes do not develop, especially in spots where water stagnates and there are leakages,” he said. “We will take up inspections and issue notices to contractors who have failed to maintain the roads. If they do not keep their commitment, they will be blacklisted immediately,” he added.
34,678 potholes
A sum of Rs. 1 lakh has been budgeted for each ward exclusively for filling potholes. The BBMP has identified 34,678 potholes in the eight zones of the city.
The civic authority has covered 12,374 potholes so far.
S. Amaresh of the RTI Study Centre alleged that the BBMP had failed to penalise the contractors who had laid the roads.
The BBMP, he said, had not acted against those whose work was found to be sub-standard.
“The contractors have to maintain the roads and ensure that they are pothole-free for three years. However, the BBMP is not insisting that the contractors stick to their part of the bargain,” Mr. Amaresh said.
