The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) engineers have been given 10 days’ time to get their act together and fill the increasing number of potholes on the city’s roads, clear debris and garbage dumped indiscriminately across the city. This direction was issued by Transport and city in-charge Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Wednesday.
The Minister met with the BBMP’s zonal additional/ joint commissioners, chief engineers, executive engineers and ward-level engineers here. He noted that the directions had been issued even during the previous review meetings and inspections. BBMP Commissioner M. Lakshminarayan too had released funds for the engineers to take up these works.
“It is unfortunate that not much has been achieved. The potholes remain on our roads affecting the movement of vehicles. This is the last warning. If there is no progress, the officials who are working in the BBMP on deputation will be repatriated to their parent departments. Disciplinary action will be initiated against BBMP engineers as well,” he warned.
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Later, he sought details of the number of potholes filled and those pending from the zonal commissioners. He warned them against providing false information and stated that he would inspect the city after 10 days. He pointed out that potholes on Hosur Road, Hosur Lashkar Road, St. Philomena Hospital junction, Trinity Circle, Ulsoor Road, Shantinagar, Nrupatunga Road, Vijayanagar Main Road and Mysore Road remain unfilled.
Empathy needed
“If you sit in your offices, you will not know how the citizens are being inconvenienced. The engineers must routinely inspect their jurisdictions,” he said, and added that Mr. Lakshminarayan would grant one-time approval to clear the debris.
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Pradeep Singh Kharola, managing director of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd., said the BMRCL would repair the stretches under Namma Metro alignment. Mr. Lakshminarayan said that while the BBMP’s road infrastructure department would fill potholes on arterial and sub-arterial roads, ward level engineers are responsible to maintain the other roads in the city.
Mayor D. Venkatesh Murthy was present.