Bengaluru: After two innocent people were killed while trying to avoid a pothole on Sirsi Circle Flyover, the BBMP has gone on an overdrive to fill potholes in the city. The Palike, known for its shoddy work, has taken up the drive to fill over 15,900 potholes in the city, even as the Indian Meteorological Department has predicted heavy rainfall over Bengaluru and other parts of south interior Karnataka.
The drive is on, even though roads repaired during rains are known to go bad in a short span. Asked whether the BBMP has taken rain forecasts into consideration before starting the pothole filling drive, BBMP Commissioner Manjunath Prasad said, "As per the forecast, the city is set to witness light to moderate rains.” But on Wednesday evening, the city witnessed a heavy rainfall.
Mr Prasad defended the drive, saying it will continue only in places where there has been no heavy rain. “We have stopped the drive in in and around Yelahanka and Bagalur, which have witnessed heavy rains over the last few days,” he justified.
MLA Suresh Kumar flays George
MLA Suresh Kumar has shot off a letter to Bengaluru Development Minister K.J. George, taking a dig at him.
Suresh Kumar
In his letter dated October 4, Mr Kumar said, “In the last eight months, as a Bengaluru Development Minister, you have not convened a single coordination committee meeting of the civic bodies BBMP, BWSSB, Bescom and BDA, which are to look after the welfare of Bengalureans. So as a Bengaluru Development Minister, couldn't you do at least this?”
Coordination committee meetings should be held every 15 days, he pointed out and said that the BBMP should wake up and do the needful.
Met says rain to continue for five more days
Mr Sundar Metri, Director, Indian Meteorological Department, Bengaluru, said, “Going by the All-India Weather Inference issued by IMD on Wednesday, a cyclonic circulation lies over East Central Arabian Sea and adjoining areas of south Maharashtra and coastal Karnataka and extends up to 1.5 km above mean sea level.”
He said, “An east-west shear zone runs roughly along latitude 16°N between 3.1 km and 5.8 km above mean sea level. Tuesday's cyclonic circulation over east-central Arabian Sea off Karnataka coast extending between 3.1 and 5.8 km above mean sea level has merged with the east-west shear zone. Based on these systems, we have predicted that for the next five days, south-interior parts of the state are likely to receive heavy rainfall and Bengaluru is part of this region.”
Errant contractors go scot free
There has been no history of the BBMP blacklisting even a single contractor, though they have failed to maintain the roads as per tender norms. However, complaints were filed against five road contractors for their shoddy works in Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Malleswaram and Gandhinagar and the cases were referred to the CID, which suggested blacklisting of these contractors. But the contractors were quick to get a stay from courts on blacklisting. BBMP Commissioner Manjunath Prasad said that contractors will have to maintain roads as per tender norms. “Once the tender contract term ends, the burden of maintaining the roads shifts to the BBMP" he said.
Digging goes on unabated, no one to curb violators
Apart from the wear and tear, another main reason for poor roads and potholes is rampant digging of stretches by civic bodies, like BBMP, BWSSB and Bescom, and optical fibre cable operators.
While all civic bodies have to get an approval from the BBMP to dig roads, it is hardly followed. OFC mafia indulges in digging stretches for which it hasn't got BBMP permission.
