BENGALURU: After Silk Board traffic memes, Kundalahalli has become the butt of a joke fest. Just last week, a newly-built underpass caved in here, prompting the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike to swing into action and repair it.
However, continuous spells of rain for three days have exposed the shoddy repair work: citizens who wish to do a road quality check can scuff the spot with a shoe, and watch the tar peel off and the loose gravel spread around. The test exposes that BBMP has used cheap material.
According to reports, Rs 19.5 crore was spent on underpass work to facilitate smooth traffic at Graphite India Road, Whitefield Road and Varthur. The underpass was thrown open to the public a few months ago, after Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai went on a surprise inspection in June. The underpass was built by RNS Infrastructure Limited. The contractor’s job was to asphalt the road and also shift the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) pipeline.
“Due to seepage, a sinkhole developed and the contractor was asked to fix it. BBMP did not spend any money on repair work,’’ said a BBMP engineer, and added that there was no damage to the underpass. Only the edge of the road near the junction caved in, and was again filled up with material and retarred. Unaware of the road work peeling off, Special Commissioner P N Ravindra told TNIE, “The work is only temporary, and once the rain stops, work will be executed neatly,” he said.
BBMP has been turned into troll material by netizens for its road works, with residents pointing out potholes across the city. It has given residents another chance to lash out at the civic body.