BENGALURU: As if the problem of coping with the traffic was not enough, commuters on the road near Alpine Apartments at Doddanekundi in K R Puram were in for a nasty surprise on Thursday morning. A portion of the well-tarred road caved in leaving Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and traffic police also in a shock.
Following a complaint from the locals and the traffic police, BBMP officials rushed to the spot, only to find a water pipeline laid by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewarage Board (BWSSB) had been broken due to which a portion of the road caved in.
Commuters had a tough time. Many of them fell off their two-wheelers and felt jerks when their vehicles rode on the damaged road. Traffic police put up barricades on the damaged portion after the water was drained out of the road completely.
BBMP Zonal Commissioner (Mahadevapura) Randeep D said a contractor associated with Airtel had damaged the water pipe while laying OFC cables, leading to the problem. “They have been pulled up and the road has also been fixed”, he said. BBMP officials maintained that this was the first time such an incident happened on the road. While they blamed the private operator for laxity, experts blamed government agencies saying this was a classic case where officials do not know where their infrastructure is and lack proper coordination.
Noted expert Ashwin Mahesh said, “If the BBMP and BWSSB knew there were underground pipes, permission for OFC cables should not have been given. This is also because there is lack of proper coordination among agencies. The road engineering is also not good,” he said.