BENGALURU: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is racing against time to get the potholes on city roads fixed by November 10.A recent note posted online by Special Commissioner (Mahadevpura Zone) Randeep D detailed the number of potholes that were identified and filled on arterial and sub-arterial roads of Mahadevpura zone in KR Puram division.
The note stated that four roads were pothole-free. But, this has not gone down well with residents, who said the civic body was giving “incorrect figures”, and the “so called pothole-free roads” are still ridden with potholes. While 284 potholes were identified in KR Puram division, 155 of them were filled, the note states. The roads declared pothole-free were Basvanpura Road, Devasandra Road, Krishna Theatre Road and Hennur Baglur Road. No potholes were identified on the ITPL-Channasandra Main Road.
Speaking to TNIE, Subramanian Krish, a resident of Hennur Bagalur Road, said, “There are large potholes everywhere on the Hennur Bagalur Road. The contractors have done patch work in some places, but the road is not pothole-free. We can’t drive more than 20 km an hour even when there is no traffic. The commissioner of the zone should do a spot check rather then believe what they are made to believe.”
This is also the case with the Channasandra Road, according to resident Amit Sharma. “Some of the potholes are fixed properly while others were only patched up with jelly stones. Small potholes are left untouched. On Monday, I saw a two-wheeler rider fall while riding over the jelly stones.”
Karthik N from Basavanapura Road called the BBMP’s claim ‘false’. “If this is how the BBMP is going to make people believe, we are not going to take it. For the stretches that have been filled, they are not even carrying out the nine-step method of filling potholes. I am sure in two weeks potholes will be back to their original state.”
Some residents also cast doubts on number of potholes filled by the civic agency in their localities. According to them, the BBMP filled only a few potholes. The note stated that of the 20 potholes identified on TC Palya Main Road, 15 were filled up.A senior BBMP official said, “If the potholes are not filled, they can report it to the ward offices or engineers of the zone.”