KG ROAD:Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials are working towards a December 18 deadline to fill up the city’s notorious potholes.
But their record is dismal. In six months, they have flouted five deadlines.
Bengaluru’s sub-arterial roads add up to 1,904 km. “We are not counting potholes. But we are counting pothole-free roads,” a senior official told City Express.
Repair teams have covered about 300 km and 100 roads, and are working towards a 15-day deadline set on December 4 by Bengaluru Development Minister K J George.
The teams started filling potholes on November 26. “Four days later, it started raining, and we had to stop. We started again on December 3,” the official said.
Engineers and officials concerned are working day and night and will complete the repairs if the rains hold up, he said.
Contractors’ onus
The official said the cost of pothole-filling would be deducted from what the BBMP owes contractors.
Contractors are liable to keep the roads in good repair for three years. “According to the contract, contractors bear the cost of repairs for any damages within three years,’’ he said.
The BBMP will also be resurfacing some roads damaged badly. “Funds will be sanctioned under emergency grants,’’ he said.
Every time the BBMP authorities have missed a deadline, they have pointed fingers at the rain.
Deadline after deadline
The BBMP has failed to meet five deadlines in six months. Here are the deadlines, with the names of those who set them:
◆ May 31 (early May): Chief Minister Siddaramiah
◆ June 8 (early June): District-in-Charge Minister Ramalinga Reddy
◆ October 5 (September), Ramalinga Reddy again
◆ December 10 (November): BBMP Commissioner Kumar Naik
◆ December 18 (early December): Bengaluru Development Minister K J George