PYTHON 5000 awaits BBMP directions to fill potholes in Bangalore.
Bangalore: Bangaloreans will have to wait until Monday to get their roads repaired. The PYTHON 5000 machine that was scheduled to begin the pothole-filling exercise on Saturday failed in its mission, as the BBMP did not hand over the list of roads and other specifications to the contractor till late evening.
The civic body officials revealed that the contractor has been awaiting the BBMP list for the past few days, but Palike officials failed to draw up a list and hand it over to the
contractor.
According to the new schedule, the machine will now be made operational from Monday. The machine will first take up work in Mehkri Circle, Yeshwanthpur Road that connects the city and the Bangalore International Airport (BIA).
The new machine, which is being hailed as the solution to Bangalore’s pot-holed dotted roads was inaugurated by Chief Minister Sidddaramaiah on November 16, and the contractor had begun conducting pilot works near BDA premises on Friday.
A BBMP official said that the delay is abnormal. “Everyone expected the machine to start road repair works last week. Officials concerned at the Palike delayed the process and also a few public holidays during this period added to the delay,” he said.
“Nevertheless, all the formalities have been completed now and there will be no further delay,” he added.ructed the house, and further investigations are on.
Next: Better roads under Tender SURE: BBMP Commissioner
Better roads under Tender SURE: BBMP Commissioner
Bangalore: BBMP Commissioner M. Lakshminarayan stated that seven main roads in the Central Business District (CBD) were selected under the Tender Specifications for Urban Road Execution (SURE) project and the tendering process has been completed. “Work on these roads is expected to commence in January,” he said.
At an event organised by the Jana Urban Space Foundation on Saturday, the Commissioner disclosed that the corporation spends Rs1.5 crore per kilometre while building a road, and under Tender SURE project it will spend more. “But the quality of roads will be better and long lasting,” he said.
Lakshminarayan said there is no dearth of funds to execute Tender SURE. “Rs 600 core has been allocated for the project and Rs100 crore has been released. In the first phase seven roads on the CBD will be taken up,” he said. The Commissioner added, “Under the new contract system everything will be made public. In addition the contractor will have to update the BBMP on day-to-day basis.”
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw and Swati Ramanathan at an event organised by Jana Urban Space foundation to
discuss Tender SURE in Bengaluru on Saturday —DC
It may be recalled that NAPC company was awarded the contract for these seven roads under the Tender SURE, phase I. The total amount for the contract is Rs 78 crore. In total 18 roads will be developed under the Tender SURE project in the city. Bangalore is the second city after New Delhi to implement Tender SURE system.
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw of Bangalore City Connect Foundation hailed the new initiative and said this will have far reaching impact on the very concept of city development. “It may cost more to implement Tender SURE, but at the end of the day quality is more important. These roads will survive for more than a decade because of their scientific design and execution,” she said.
Shaw urged civic agencies and the government to save the city from its crumbling infrastructure, and said that initiatives like Tender SURE is the way forward. “Tender SURE roads will lead to better inter-agency co-ordination and avoid constant re-work on roads, as service providers are enrolled as stakeholders in order to achieve a consensus on the final design,” she said.
Shantinagar MLA N.A. Haris, who was also present, said citizens were willing to face minor inconveniences for the sake of a good project, and hoped that once the Tender SURE roads are laid, there will be no more digging of roads.
Janaagraha co-founder Swathi Ramanathan, who has designed twelve roads for th Tender SURE project said the project will be extended to other roads as well. “Phase I works will be taken up soon. Under the new system the deadline and quality of works will be given top priority alongside scientific design of our roads,” she said.
Getting the road right was the starting point of addressing the quality of life in the city, she added. “We have to address the issues that have made Indian roads so notorious for their chaotic traffic, potholes, broken footpaths, over flowing drainage and poorly placed power transformers,” she said.
Next: No end to Nayandahalli woes
No end to Nayandahalli woes
Bangalore : It was a promise made to none other than Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on his first tour of the city. But the widening of the Mysore Road stretch leading to Nayandahalli junction which was to be completed by October 31, has made little headway and motorists continue to meet with accidents here.
In August, the junction claimed a family of four, including two children, who were mowed down by a goods carrier. “It is a difficult junction to cross due to the ongoing multiple constructions. Vehicles come in from all directions and most times private buses, and matadors are parked on one side of the road near Nayandahalli. Once the vehicles get through the traffic jam, they speed away causing accidents in the process,” complains Ram Manohar, a resident of a nearby apartment.
The BDA which started a project to build two flyovers here in the first quarter of 2011, has so far completed only one of them. With the construction work on the second flyover running from Nayandahalli to BHEL junction still underway there's more chaos at the junction.
“Till one of the flyovers was opened for traffic, the situation was even worse as it took around 45 minutes to get through the junction in peak hours. Although the situation has eased a bit now, the mismanagement of traffic at the junction still leads to frequent accidents,” complains M. Prasanna Achar, a resident of Rajarajeshwari Nagar.
The BDA, however claims to have speeded up work on the second flyover following the Chief Minister’s visit. “We are currently working on the fag ends of the flyover connecting the main roads and have built temporary road on either side near the site of the Metro Station. The work is in full swing,” said a BDA official.
But Dr Ashish Verma, assistant professor, department of civil engineering and associate faculty, Centre for Infrastructure, Sustainable Transportation and Urban Planning (CiSTUP), Indian Institute of Science says such situations involving multiple constructions can only be improved if civic agencies take care of traffic management and road safety before embarking on any of the projects.
“The civic agencies are to blame for such chaos on the roads as they do not plan traffic management and road safety in advance. Unlike in developed nations, they do not bother to change the road signages or reconstruct separate lanes. Road markings are always missing at the construction sites which confuses motorists and leads to accidents,” he notes.
( Source : dc )
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