BENGALURU: Agencies in the city may differ on the number of potholes on Bengaluru’s roads. But what is certain is that it’s still a bumpy ride for the city’s motorists.
While the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike has counted around 3,229 potholes, the Police Department’s tally stands at 1,023. According to the BBMP’s engineering division that counted the potholes, Yelahanka Zone in North Bangalore alone has 709 potholes.
After the furore over the recent accident resulting in the death of a woman due to a pothole in Devarabeesanahalli, BBMP commissioner
G Kumar Naik summoned contractors and zonal engineers and directed them to fill potholes within a week. Their focus will be on the Yelahanka Zone, through which the road to Kempegowda International Airport passes.
Naik told Express: “BBMP has already released ward grants of Rs 1 lakh for road repairs to each ward. Ward engineers can also utilise these for road repairs if the contract period has expired.” He said if the stretch is very bad and is over five metres long, it will be fully tarred.
“Once this is done, I will go on an inspection to check the quality of work,” added Naik.
District In-charge Minister Ramalinga Reddy said the corporation does not have funds and the government has to pump in money to save both the corporation and the city’s residents. “Work on sub-arterial roads, arterial roads and cross roads will be taken up. As the the corporation is short of funds, Rs 500 crore from the Nagarothana grant and Rs 1,000 crore from the Public Works Department will be allocated to the corporation,” he said.
BDA To Back Its
Engineers: The police have sent notices to the BDA engineer responsible for maintaining the road on which a woman died when her husband tried to avoid a pothole while riding home. BDA officials, however, claim that they will protect the engineer and will not allow him to become a “scapegoat’’.
“Potholes are everywhere and not just on 47 km roads maintained by the BDA. We will bring the matter before Ramalinga Reddy. Doctors’ reports say the woman died due to speeding as her spinal cord damage and blood circulation to brain had stopped,” said Nayak, Engineer Member, BDA. Coming up with a lower figure for the number of potholes, additional commissioner of police, Traffic and Security, M A Saleem, told Express, “Details of 1,032 potholes that were identified by the traffic police has been sent to the BBMP Commissioner.