BENGALURU:“Repaired surface is coming out when rubbed by heel of shoe, surface is undulating and uneven, more voids in surface and cold rolling marks are visible, potholes have been filled with mud…” The preliminary report submitted by the Karnataka High Court-constituted panel has exposed the shoddy works done by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) in filling potholes. The report follows spot inspection at 22 locations of Kempegowda ward in Yelahanka zone.
“A patch in front of the bus stand has been repaired, leaving the other portion of the road about 50 mm down. Potholes have been unevenly filled with concrete at a few places,” the panel stated in its report.
In the report submitted by the panel comprising Superintendent Engineer Dinesh Agarwal, CWE (Army) and Uma M G, Member Secretary, the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority, before the division bench of Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Justice S G Pandit, it was further stated that though drains exist alongside the road inlet points of drains are mostly blocked. It also stated that cuttings in roads due to pipe lines or house connections has been filled with concrete/mud in a haphazard way and level difference with regard to adjoining road surface exist.
The Commission has stated that valve pits have not been found in most areas where valves are falling in road area and generally have been covered by mud. In road areas, holes dug for valves have been left uncovered and may lead to accident, it said.
Indicating that the court will examine the minute details of the work done, the court has adjourned the hearing to Thursday, after giving opportunity to the Commission to visit each 7 wards in Mahalakshmi Layout and Malleswaram, in West Zone, as the BBMP claimed that these areas are completely potholes free.
BWSSB made party to case
As the Commission’s report has also highlighted the several ditches caused by the BWSSB owing to cutting of roads, the High Court has impleaded it as party to the proceedings of this case. This was after the Commission pointed out some potholes have not been repaired by the BBMP saying that those stretches should be repaired by BWSSB. “Potholes at Kogilu junction filled with mud having undulating top surface protruding upto 15 cm above from adjacent road surface. BBMP says it pertains to BWSSB”, it was stated in the Commission’s report.
‘WHY NO BICYCLE SHARING PROJECT?’
The High Court orally asked Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar to provide space for bicycles in Bengaluru. “Why don’t you do it in Bengaluru,” the court asked Vijay Bhaskar when he said the bicycle sharing project was being implemented in Mysuru on a pilot basis. He said it can’t be implemented in Bengaluru due to space constraints.