BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court on Thursday appointed court commissioners to ascertain the present condition of roads and footpaths in the city. A division bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice S Vishwajith Shetty passed the order with regard to a public interest litigation petition filed by Vijayan Menon and three others from the city in 2015.The petitioners’ grievance is regarding Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP) failure to maintain roads and repair the potholed stretches.
The bench said that it has perused the various orders passed from time to time which contained several interim directions and reminded the BBMP about its obligation. “This court has held that the right to have a good road and footpath is right to life. BBMP is unable to appoint an agency to inspect the present condition of roads,” the bench said.This was after BBMP counsel K N Puttegowda submitted that the Indian Institute of Science IISc had sought Rs 5.94 crore to inspect and submit a report on 70 roads for which the civic body has spent Rs 70 lakh on repair works.
“We direct the Secretary of the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority (KSLSA) and Secretary of Bengaluru Urban District Legal Services Authority to create a panel of paralegal volunteers and panel of advocates,” the bench said.It said that these two panels should identify various public streets in BBMP jurisdiction. They should be requested to visit the designated public streets with a view to ascertain their present condition, the bench ordered.
“It will be appropriate for the Secretary of KSLSA to invite the petitioners and their counsel for a meeting to identify which public streets are to be visited. The two panels should act as commissioners of court and submit a report along with soft copies of the photographs,” the bench said.
It directed the Secretaries of both the Authorities to compile a report and prepare a gist which should be submitted by February 5, 2021. On February 6, 2020, the bench had directed the BBMP to appoint IISc to conduct an audit of pothole-filling works in the city.
Project Shivajinagar launched
Bengaluru: BBMP on Thursday launched Project Shivajinagar, to ensure proper garbage management in the area. Spearheaded by MLA Rizwan Arshad, the project aims to create awareness among residents on garbage segregation, proper waste disposal, scientific handling of waste and other civic affairs. It is aimed at bringing in a positive change among people in the neighbourhood. Under the programme block committees will be launched in all wards for household management of waste, proper door-to-door collection, cleanliness, and timely collection of waste. MLA Rizwan Arshad said: “Garbage menace has always been an issue in my constituency.
To address the issue, I consulted various experts in the field and studied models of other cities that managed to overhaul their garbage collection system. And now, with #ProjectShivajinagar, I want to ensure that Shivajinagar is a garbage-free neighborhood.” The cost of the project will be borne by Rizwan Arshad Foundation, a philanthropic forum. Ugly Indians, a NGO, has also partnered in the initiative to convert 10 black spots into clean spaces, starting this weekend.