BENGALURU: Chief Minister DK Shivakumar announcing a Rs 2,000-crore grant for asphalting and repairing Bengaluru’s roads has come under scrutiny by experts for potential implementation failures. The grant is for resurfacing major and ward level roads that are not covered under any ongoing projects.
Srikanth Narasimhan, founder, Bengaluru NavaNirmana Party, criticised the lack of transparency and accountability when it comes to road projects undertaken by the government.
He said, “Thousands of crores have been announced for roads in the past few years. If this money has been spent and projects are done, why are the roads still in bad shape? Unfortunately, new projects are announced but the only thing that happens is money getting siphoned off through corruption.”
Sandeep Anirudhan, convener of Citizens’ Agenda for Bengaluru, stressed the importance of city governance independent of the state of Karnataka. He continued, “What’s important is that these expenditures are audited and available to the public. Otherwise, we can expect more of the same profiteering and cost-cutting from the contractors. It’s like living in a Stone Age.”
Anirudhan also said, “There’s this unique culture of politics in Bengaluru, it’s called the ‘Announcement Raj’. It’s not a new thing, this has been going on for a while. Even the previous BJP government used to do that.”
Kathyayini Chamraj, executive trustee, CIVIC-Bangalore, said despite GBA Chief Commissioner Maheshwar Rao announcing that all roadside drains will have rainwater pits, engineers are laying fully concreted roadside drains without this provision.
“That will result in water stagnating on the asphalted road creating more potholes. Unless work specifications are monitored by citizens in active ward committees and area sabhas, the Rs 2,000 crore for roads will go down the drain.”
Traffic expert and adviser to the government for traffic transport infrastructure, Professor MN Sreehari said Rs 2,000 crore is not a small amount. He said the contractor needs to be trusted and a proper inspection must take place by people dedicated to the field to ensure the quality of roads. “There is a procedure for manufacturing, a procedure for mixing asphalt and laying of roads. These are technical procedures set by the Indian Roads Congress, which must be followed,” he said.
The Shivakumar government has announced a three-month deadline for completion of the project. With the imminent arrival of the monsoon, Professor Sreehari warned, “If it rains, then in one week the roads will open up again and potholes will resurface. Work must definitely not happen now. The monsoon is here.”
TNIE contacted GBA chief Maheshwar Rao for a comment, but he was unavailable.
