Potholes to stay for some more time

At the end of July, the BBMP had sent out a press release stating that city roads were to be asphalted and potholes patched up by mid-August.
Potholes to stay for some more time

The issue of potholes runs deep indeed, what with repeated promises made by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP)and the continuing deadlines it has set for itself. At the end of July, the BBMP had sent out a press release stating that city roads were to be asphalted and potholes patched up by mid-August. However, last week, Mayor B S Satyanarayana announced that the pothole issue is here to stay till the rains stop.

Contact any official, and they counter you with another stock question: 'Have you seen the rains this year?' "It's an impossible task right now. Do you think it's possible to take up the work now," says Satyanarayana. However,he assures that the project will be taken up full swing as soon as the monsoon ends. "If we take it up now, and the roads get damaged again, the public will blame us," he adds.

Chief engineer, BBMP, Rangaraju, who had earlier claimed that the rains would not hinder the fill-up operation as a 'liquid emulsifier'would ensure freshly filled potholes not to be damaged by showers, now opines, "That would work if it is drizzling or light showers. This time, the rains have been the heaviest in many years," he adds. Had the asphalting continued through the rains, all the work would have been undone immediately by the downpour that followed, he claims.

However, the rains are not the only hurdle that affects the pothole fill-up drive. "Many of the main roads with the biggest potholes in our ward have been repaired," says Bommanahalli ward corporator B S Manjunath Reddy. However, he claims that the allocated funds of `5 lakh per ward is insufficient, adding that the work is far from complete.

"It would definitely be better if we could get another `10 lakh. Some of the roads that need to be tarred are Virat Nagar Main Road, Royal Shelter Main Road and Bhagat Singh Road where there's a school," he says.

The assistant executive engineer for Bommanahalli zone explains that more funds need to be allocated to each of the 198 wards, some for completion of the project and the rest as reserve funds which can be utilised for road maintenance after the monsoon ends.

Concurring that asphalting does not provide a permanent solution to the pothole problem, Rangaraju adds that road maintenance has to be looked at  holistically for every ward. "The storm water drains have to be cleared and a proper path created for rainwater to flow into them," he says.

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