Bangalore: Filling a pothole takes only two minutes, thanks to the newly-acquired machine now at work near Mekhri Circle.
The BBMP has imported Python 5,000 a high capacity pothole filling machine from Canada which can ensure the motorists a rattle free ride.
A BBMP engineer said that the city roads have been split into six areas. The Python has currently been pressed to service between Mekhri Circle and Mysore Road (Sirsi Circle and Town Hall) via Yeshwantpur, covering about 200 kilometres. The machine has already filled potholes on Sampige Road, Margosa Road and C V Raman Road near IISc, the engineer added.
Unlike conventional mammoth road rollers, Python moves smoothly like a car. Once it spots a pothole, it blows high capacity air to remove water, dust and debris. A conveyor belt fills the pothole with required hot ready mix. A roller pressurised by hydraulic system that can move horizontally and vertically fills the pothole by exerting a force of 14.5 kg/sq cms.
All this happens in a matter of two minutes and then the machine moves to the next pothole. In a day it can cover about 20 kilometres. Python costs about Rs 3 crore and the potholes filled by this machine last longer than those done using conventional methods.
G. V. Sudhindra, Vice-President of American Road Technology and Solutions Pvt. Ltd told Deccan Chronicle that the machine carries hot mix aggregate, bitumen and emulsion with a temperature between 140 and 200 degrees Celsius. The higher the temperature, the better will be the adhesive quality. The machine is not labour intensive, he added.
The machine has the capability to function in almost any weather conditions. It can even fill potholes while it is drizzling, though not during heavy showers, he said.
“Our men are being trained by experts from Canada. A special team is being summoned from Canada to train our men on maintenance too. In the first phase we are studying the implication of the pothole filling and improving it further,” Sudhindra said.
