BENGALURU: To the Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Ltd (B-SMILE), the special purpose vehicle (SPV) of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), aiming to white-top nearly 500 km of roads in the city by 2028, a key hurdle is the shortage of dedicated engineers.
Officials said that apart from mandatory clearances and time-consuming shifting of utilities, the absence of engineers exclusively assigned to monitor the work has further delayed execution.
To ensure time-bound completion and adherence to prescribed standards, BSMILE plans to hire 16 engineers on contract. They will be tasked solely with supervising the white-topping work across the city.
“White-topping works are under way in different parts of the city. While we aim to complete them within the stipulated time, delays occur due to permissions from multiple departments, shifting of utilities and other unforeseen issues. Sometimes, the real problems surface only after roads are dug up. Having dedicated engineers on site will help us address such hurdles quickly and proceed with the work,” a senior BSMILE official said.
In one such instance, a British-era stormwater drain was discovered when the then BBMP took up white-topping in Cottonpet. The drain collapsed during excavation, significantly delaying the project.
As per the direction of Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, the plan is to white-top 500 km of roads over the next three years. “To execute this mammoth task, we need dedicated engineers,” the official added.
The process of recruiting 16 engineers with experience in executing similar projects under Central and State governments, public sector undertakings or urban local bodies is under way. Of them, four will be appointed as junior engineers and 12 as assistant engineers.