Potholes, which have made a comeback with the recent spate of rains, are causing much consternation among motorists and pedestrians. The matter was recently taken up by the Chief Minister who directed the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to ensure that potholes are repaired quickly given the volume of complaints from citizens of bad roads.
Last October and November, the BBMP was racing to meet its self-imposed deadlines to fill all potholes and repair bad reaches. This year, it hopes to maintain more control over the problem by producing its own asphalt.
“The hot mix plant at Kannur, around 20 km from the city, has started functioning. It is up to the discretion of the jurisdictional engineer to use either cell macadum or cold mix,” said a civic official. The hot mix plant had been set up at a cost of ₹5 crore in an attempt to bring in more accountability and reduce dependence on contractors.
Senior officials said that engineers at the ward level have been continuously filling up potholes and repairing roads. Funds for road maintenance have already been given to all wards. While wards in the three core zones get ₹20 lakh each, those in the remaining five have been allocated ₹30 lakh each.
