BENGALURU: As the state government talks about improving mobility, undertaking construction of highways and expressways, and an 18-km long tunnel road in Bengaluru, experts point out that the basic requirement of commuters is left unanswered: good roads.
Last Wednesday, when IT-BT Minister Priyank Kharge said Karnataka was way ahead of any other state in information technology in India, netizens and citizens pointed out that the city lagged in providing basic infrastructure, like filling up potholes.
Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru in-charge minister was trolled and criticised for his statement “Bengaluru roads are far better than Delhi’s”, Bengalureans said: “Do not compare, instead ensure roads are improved in Bengaluru, which is an IT hub.”
Shivakumar also set a 15 day-deadline for Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) engineers to fill up potholes. On September 2, he promised that 2,795 potholes in the city will be repaired within 15 days. He also announced an allocation of Rs 600 crore to repair all major roads in the city.
But BBMP engineers have pointed a finger at protesting contractors and said the deadline cannot be met. “How can we work when there are no contractors? We have 5,000 bags of cold mix in our plant to repair roads, each bag weighing 35kg. The weather is also apt, but there is little assistance to do the work,” a BBMP official said.
A senior BBMP official said it costs Rs 600-1000 to fill a pothole. “There is no dearth of funds to fill the potholes, and work is happening. The maximum complaints are from the city outskirts where developmental works are under progress,” said a BBMP engineer. But citizens are not convinced.
They assert that nothing is happening and point to the increasing number of road accidents and injuries commuters are suffering because of bad roads. They recollect an incident from October 2022, where a woman died after she was hit by a speeding bus, while trying to avoid a pothole opposite Lulu Mall in Binnypet.
“This is not a stray incident; there have been many instances after that, yet little has been done,” said Sakshi K, a banker, who suffered grievous injuries while trying to avoid a pothole at the same location in August 2024. “Nothing has changed. The potholed roads are there, accident locations keep changing. BBMP says they are filling potholes, they just resurface,” she said.
It is not just citizens who have expressed anguish, the High Court also pulled up government agencies over poor road conditions. In 2022, the Karnataka High Court directed BBMP to repair major roads within 10 days. The court recently took note of bad roads near its complex. Orthopaedists point out that the number of people approaching them with spinal and knee pain are on the rise, and most of them are two-wheeler riders.
BBMP officials point fingers at government agencies like the Public Works Department, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board, energy department and private companies laying optic fibre cables, for the poor road condition.
“Under the Nirbhaya scheme, the police department is cutting roads to lay cables for installing cameras. Bengaluru is a developing and growing city, so for utilities, other agencies dig roads. A pothole is a circular shaped structure and is an inferior part of the road. But that is not the only damage on a road. In Bengaluru, roads are not meant only for traffic, but are also a space for other underground utilities,” said the BBMP engineer.
But experts are not convinced. Slamming the condition of roads, they said the degrees of engineers should be seized and they should be sent back to learn the basics of road engineering.
Prof Ashish Verma, convener, IISc Sustainable Transportation Lab, Department of Civil Engineering, IISc said: “Even if the potholes are filled properly, they will re-appear. This is either done purposely or due to lack of basic engineering knowledge. Potholes are not just in Bengaluru, but in Delhi, Mumbai and all other cities. But they are not seen in other countries, where there are black topped roads.
The roads have a good life there because simple engineering rules and methods are strictly followed. The road is slightly raised in the centre and there are cross slope edges along with well maintained shoulder drains on both sides. This ensures there is no water stagnation and the runoff is smooth. These are also spelt out in the Indian Road Congress guidelines, which should be strictly followed. Engineers and contractors should be penalised for the poor road condition.”
Officials in the Urban Development Department and Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department said the problem of bad roads is not limited to Bengaluru, but is seen in other two-and three-tier cities. An RDPR official mocked: “Roads in other cities have started to appear like those of Malgudi Days tales, where kuchha roads were seen.”
Vijayapura: Rain aggravation
The historic city draws scores of domestic and international tourists to see its ancient monuments, but the roads are in very poor condition. Damaged and potholed roads are a common sight in Vijayapura city all through the year. The problem, however, aggravates during monsoon. Not just interior roads, even main roads are filled with potholes and minor accidents are the order of the day during the monsoon.
Corporation Commissioner Vijaykumar Mekkalaki said the government has granted funds for the construction of roads. “But due to rain, we cannot take up asphalting. Water is the biggest enemy of asphalt. However, we have taken up extensive work on potholes in the city, considering the Ganesha Chaturthi festival, where people will use the roads for processions. Tenders for construction of roads will soon be floated and work will start after the monsoon,” he said.
Belagavi: In time for festival
Ganesha festival has pressurised the authorities to get on their feet and repair pathetic roads immediately, be it on temporary basis. Most roads in Belagavi city are in pathetic condition and complaints are piling up with the authorities. Following recent heavy rain, the roads have become bad and repairing them has become more difficult for the authorities.
Speaking to TNIE, Laxmi Nippanikar, Superintendent Engineer, Belagavi City Corporation, said asphalting roads is difficult due to rain. She said that some roads are dusty and scrubby in the city. While, few other roads have huge potholes. Road repair works are being taken up on temporary basis and priority is being given to major roads. Small potholes are being filled with wet mix, which will sort the problem. Permanent solution to repair the roads can be done only after monsoon, she added.
Udupi: Potholes reappear
The city roads in Udupi are in average condition after heavy rainfall that occurred this season. Potholes have reappeared on the Brahmagiri- Ajjarakad (Town Hall) stretch which was recently asphalted. Similar is the case on the stretch between Kinnimulki and Jodukatte. Potholes appeared four months ago, but no action was taken to fill them.
Udupi CMC president Prabhakar Poojary said the priority of the corporation is to ensure that all roads in Udupi are in good condition. Udupi CMC Commissioner Rayappa said a budget of Rs 4lakh has been set aside for filling potholes on city roads. “Work will start within a day or two and will be completed in a week’s time,” Rayappa said.
Madikeri: Rain damages roads
Permanent road relief work has not been carried out across Kodagu for over a year now. Potholes have become a common sight on roads across the district. National Highway (NH) 275 from Sampaje to Mysuru is also in a pitiable condition due to absence of road maintenance work. Incessant rain in July has caused severe damage to bridges and roads across the district.
“Around 75 road relief works are to be conducted by the Public Works Department (PWD). Also Rs 3.44 crore fund is required for temporary road relief works. We are currently carrying out pothole filling work,” said Siddegowda, PWD Executive Engineer. He added that Rs 76 crore funds is required to conduct the relief works of the damaged PWD roads, bridges and a few buildings. Town and city roads across the district are also in a pathetic condition and need permanent relief work.
Hassan: Meagre funds for roads
Except for major roads, most roads connecting different extensions are also not in motorable condition in Hassan city. Experts point out that grants released to construct and repair roads and drainage are meagre.
Channegowda, assistant executive engineer, Hassan city municipal council, said Rs 2.74 crore has been released under the 15th Finance Commission for the year 2024-25, to repair and construct roads. He added that potholes will be filled using CMC grants at the earliest.
Taking the state government to task for his alleged failure to release enough grants to repair roads, Yogindra Babu, councillor of ward 11 said proposals seeking grants to repair roads and drainage has been gathering dust since a year. “We cannot give a deadline to repair roads,” he rued.
Shivamogga: Monsoon plays havoc
The condition of roads in Shivamogga city is better compared to previous years; however, many roads are potholed. Shivamogga City Corporation sources said before the onset of the monsoon, the corporation began repairing potholes, but the monsoon arrived early and repairs carried out by the corporation could not last long. “Due to the monsoon, it is not possible to take up further road repairs. Work will start in October,” he said.
The city corporation has not set a deadline for completion of pothole repairs and does not maintain data on the number of potholes in the city. There is also no dedicated fund allocated for road maintenance, the source added.
Kalaburagi: Machines on the job
The Kalaburagi Mahanagara Palike has machines to fill up potholes and take up road repair work whenever it gets information about potholes and damages.
Executive engineer RP Jadhav said no potholes in the city remain for more than two days on city roads. He said the corporation spends around Rs 1 crore annually for filling up potholes and repairing roads.
President of Hyderabad Karnataka Yuva Horata Samithi Dr Raju Kulageri said there are over 80 potholes on the main road between Annapurna Cross and Basaveshwara Hospital, besides other stretches. The condition of the roads in the interior part of the city is the worst, he added.
IRC guidelines on fixing a pothole
Preparation: The pothole shall be cleaned with a stiff wire brush and all loose material, including dust, shall be removed with a soft brush. The pothole need not be dry. However, excess water shall be swept off the pothole
Placing mix: The mix is intended for patching potholes up to 75mm (3 inches) deep. For deeper potholes, patching mix shall be placed and compacted in 75mm thick layers. If the pothole is deep and extends further or has a granular base, the mix should be applied to a suitable tack coat or prime coat, as feasible
Compacting the mix: First the outside edge or periphery of the patch shall be compacted with a hand rammer or small compactor, and then compaction shall be done. For deep potholes, place the patching mix and compact in 75mm thick layers. The compacted patch shall be slightly higher than the existing road surface to allow further compaction by traffic
Applying sand: Before opening the compacted patch to traffic, sufficient amounts of clean sand shall be sprinkled on the patch to prevent pick up by traffic
(Inputs from: Bosky Khanna/ Bengaluru, Firoz Rozindar/ Vijayapura, Tushar A Majukar/ Belagavi, Prakash Samaga/Udupi, Prajna GR/ Madikeri, BR Uday Kumar/ Hassan, Arpitha I/ Shivamogga, Ramakrishna Badsheshi/ Kalaburagi)