Two months after Dy. CM’s promise to fix potholes, number triples

BBMP had identified 5,800 potholes in the city in May; the number increased to 21,287 by August 14

With the identification of newer potholes in different localities, civic officials say numbers will vary.

The number of potholes on Bengaluru’s roads have more than tripled, a little over two months after Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara assured citizens that they would be fixed.

In May this year, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had identified 5,800 potholes in the city and submitted a report to the Chief Minister. However, as of August 14, there were 21,287 potholes in the city, according to data available with the Palike.

While civic officials claimed that they have attended to 20,169 of the identified potholes, they were quick to add that numbers will vary with the identification of newer potholes in different localities. The cause for concern, however, is that officials themselves are unsure over how long the repair work and fillings will hold. “Usually, it is supposed to last a year. However, this could vary depending on the traffic in that area and on the rain,” one BBMP engineer said.

The rainy season is further slowing the process of repair works. Mayor Sampath Raj, however, expressed optimism. After conducting an inspection on Friday evening, he said that owing to traffic and rain, work had slowed down in some places. “But we are making progress. I have asked BBMP officials to ensure that potholes identified in different areas are filled up every night. I am also asking them to take up the task in every ward,” he said.

Motorists, however, say that the civic body’s inability to fix the problem is a reflection of its apathy and lack of political will.

“As long as there is a Minister looking after the problem of potholes in the city, this issue will continue. The BBMP needs to realise that this has to be fixed at the ward level. This is where the constitution of ward committees becomes crucial. People can hold the local councillor accountable. With one Mayor or one Minister trying to oversee the issue, the situation is unlikely to improve,” said Srinivas Alavilli, Citizens for Bengaluru.

Urban expert V. Ravichander said the BBMP’s approach to repairing roads by identifying potholes was flawed. The civic body needed to focus on ensuring ‘smooth motorable roads’ instead of fixating on identifying potholes, as smaller ruptures might not get classified as potholes.

“The number of potholes identified by the BBMP are limiting in number owing to the definition. If one were to consider all the smaller gashes on the road, the number would be far higher compared to the palike’s official data,” he said.

SWD: Long way to go

As the rainy season has set in, BBMP’s storm water drain works are moving at a slow pace. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had tendered works to construct Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) drains of 192 km at a cost of ₹800 crore after the July 2016 floods in the city. These works started only by May 2017 and were expected to be completed by December 2017. However, they are far from over.

According to BBMP engineers, about 135 km of work has been completed, while the rest is still on. Ahead of the Assembly elections this year, funds were released for another 20 km stretch, but work is yet to begin. “From this fund, SWD works will be taken up in Koramangala, Bommanahalli, K.R. Puram and Yeshwantpur. We have just begun work in Yeshwantpur,” an official in the Palike said.