BENGALURU: After a tough week of rains and floods, residents of the city are now faced with the aftermath - roads filled with potholes. This once again shows how BBMP’s quick fix solution for roads has fallen apart during the downpour.
On many roads in the city, especially where water-logging persists, potholes are common. They pose a threat to two-wheeler riders. During the monsoon, the situation is more dangerous as riders can’t see potholes are covered by rainwater. Last year, three people died in accidents related to potholes and early this year, a person died in a pothole-related accident.
Prestine Joms, a resident of C V Raman Nagar, said, “I have to travel to Indiranagar daily and the road is pathetic. Recently, my car fell into a huge pothole. If I was riding a two-wheeler, I would not have been alive.”
Sandeep Katti, a lawyer, echoed it. “It is like riding on a camel. The suspension of our vehicles has stopped functioning. Politicians and bureaucrats have shown no interest and attempts have not been made to come up with a long-term plan for roads. If an average commuter is facing such difficulties, what about patients traveling in ambulances. What if the ambulance lands in such a pothole?” he said.
Commuters complain that even newly laid roads are riddled with potholes. Ronendro Singh Mayengbam, a resident of Whitefield, said, “There was much excitement when the roads were fixed following the ‘Save Whitefield’ campaign. Hardly six months after work was completed, potholes have appeared on roads in the area. Most potholes are found on roads where there was no water-logging. This proves that quality of work was compromised.”
Rakhibul Rahman of Koramangala said, “There was a large pothole after Adugodi signal. The civic body filled it with debris and the rain washed it away, turning it into a crater. This is how civic body fixes issues.”
K T Nagaraj, BBMP superintendent engineer for major works, said, “Potholes are filled regularly.” When asked about complaints of shoddy work, he said, “Let people point out the road where they feel quality of work is compromised. If we are shown the roads, we will check if it is a newly laid road or a recently dug-up one. Only then can we take action against contractors.”