The commission set up by the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday pointed out a series of lapses or shortcomings in the works executed by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) in filling potholes at some places in Yelahanka zone, and the condition of roads.
The commission, comprising Dinesh Agrawal, Superintending Engineer, CWE (Army), Military Engineering Services, Bengaluru, and Uma M.G, a district judge and Member-Secretary, Karnataka State Legal Services Authority (KSLSA), submitted its preliminary report after inspecting 22 locations in ward number 1 and 15 locations of ward number 2 under Yelahanka zone.
It has been pointed out in the report that the BBMP has claimed that some of the potholes, caused due to works undertaken by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), have remained unattended as it was BWSSB’s duty to attend to such potholes.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Justice S.G. Pandit adjourned hearing on a PIL related to the poor conditions of roads till September 27 to enable the commission to inspect certain wards in Mahalakshmi Layout and in Malleswaram.
Meanwhile, the bench directed the BBMP to furnish copies of the contract agreement on road laying showing specifications, departmental manual of specification, road maps along with road identification number, test report for quality assurance, and job mix design as sought by the commission to ascertain the quality of pothole filling works done by the BBMP or its contractors.
Rains see potholes filled with debris
The recent spate of rains, especially at night, is proving to be a hurdle in the civic body’s endeavour to rid the city of potholes.
“The BBMP is abiding by the High Court's orders and officials have been directed to fill the potholes on a war footing. However, the recent rains are affecting the work," said Bengaluru Development Minister and Deputy CM G. Parameshwara.
For now, the craters are being temporarily filled with debris. "Bitumen will not hold when there is moisture. The BBMP officials are doing their best under the circumstances," he added.
