BENGALURU: Why are Bengaluru roads are dug up frequently and why over Rs 20,000 crore has been spent on asphalting and repairing roads over the last five years, asked a Congress MLC PR Ramesh who had served as a mayor of Bengaluru.
He asked Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai how out of 11,283 km of roads in the city, not even one kilometre is free of potholes. He wanted to know if unscrupulous elements were claiming repeat bills for the same work and if there was a work audit to stop abuse of the system.
Bommai responded that Bengaluru roads are not used exclusively for vehicular movement as utilities like power, LPG and water lines too are laid under them. Because of recent heavy rain, the condition of roads has deteriorated, he added.
He said that BWSSB has taken up a challenging task of laying underground drainage pipes (UGD) to connect 110 villages which had been brought under the jurisdiction of Bengaluru. There is work in progress to lay 6,000 km of cables underground. GAIL too is laying 1,500 km of gas pipelines. Because of these and other essential works, the government is facing a challenge in maintaining pothole-free roads, he added.
From December 10, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike has started asphalting of430 arterial and sub-aterial roads. Of these, 311 roads measuring 834 km have been made pothole free. On the remaining 159 km of roads, the work is in progress.
He said that on 180 km length of roads, work is in progress and it is being done in stages. In over 100 km of road length, white topping works has been completed and along 30 km of road length, the TenderSure road work is in progress, he explained.