BENGALURU: Finding it difficult to walk along stretches of footpaths in Bengaluru or do you find missing slabs on pavements? Blame it on the poor engineering of drains, says urban expert Ashwin Mahesh. “Drains are not supposed to be rectangular. Simple Class 10 physics tells us that water flows easily in cylinders. Then why have rectangular shaped drains?” he questioned. “Having rectangular drains will mean they need to be covered with slabs and hence begins the problem , ” he reasoned.
While rectangular grains can be constructed by any local contractors, cylindrical drains will mean the need for engineering from bigger companies, according to the expert. “It is a money-making mechanism,” he says. “Ask the civic agencies why these slabs are placed and they explain that it will be convenient for them to desilt the drains or clear the garbage. These slabs, when placed haphazardly, make way for garbage to be dumped. Someone cleaning the roads can easily push garbage into it. This will generate the need for another contract to clean the drains. It is a tactic for contract generation and hence kickbacks,” says Mahesh.