Bengaluru: When apathy hurts, light up the potholes!

Bengaluru: With the road overrun by various agencies to lay pipes and optical fibre cables, the harried residents of Swami Vivekananda Road near Whitefield observed a ‘Pothole Diwali’ by lighting candles in every pothole! They allege the BBMP has failed to ensure proper restoration of the road and want it to be fixed at the earliest

After a long drawn struggle by local residents, Swami Vivekananda Road near Whitefield got a fresh coat of tar nearly a year ago. However, their joy was short lived as within months it began to wear off and by the end of six months it resembled a rubble.

On Saturday, residents resorted to a novel way of protest to highlight the pitiable condition of the road. They celebrated 'Pothole Diwali' by lighting candles, diyas and placing it over potholes on the S.V. Road.

"Various agencies such as GAIL, KPTCL, Telecom OFC providers such as ACT, Reliance, Airtel and Vodafone have indulged in indiscriminate digging. They take as long as they want to lay pipes and leave the road in muddy pieces," said Gautam Mishra, one of the residents near Prashanth Layout Extension.

One after the other, contractors come, lay their pipes and optical fibre cables, but the BBMP does not monitor their progress, leaving the street untarred, he lamented.

"Half a kilometre of the road is filled with potholes. There is no road in fact. Vehicles have to dance around to negotiate the trenches. When they got to know that we were planning to hold a candle light protest, the BBMP did some shoddy last minute patchwork at few spots," said Mridula, a local resident.

While it is a struggle for motorists, especially two-wheeler riders, even pedestrians sometimes fall and injure themselves.

"The open drains overflow during the monsoon, causing flooding on the already damaged road. Without streetlights, we can't see where we are walking. We want the contractors to lay the road again," Mridula added.

"The agencies sign the official permission letter, give a deposit but do not follow the terms and conditions. We residents want to be informed why the road is being dug up, how long it will take and the BBMP must ensure they undo the damage," Mishra demanded. The pipe or wire laying work done by a person gets destroyed by another and this turns into a vicious cycle, he added.

 ‘Firms will not be given permission to lay cables, pipes’
Interview with Corporator S. Muniswamy, Kadugodi, Ward no. 83
What is the progress on asphalting of Swami Vivekananda Road?
There are not many potholes on this road. The road was tarred a year ago, but then it was dug up by various agencies to lay pipes and optic cables. Three to four years ago, the underground drainage work began and they did not redo the road it properly. Due to recent heavy rains, the muddy road in these sections caved in.

What is being done about it?
It is the responsibility of the agency that has taken permission from the BBMP head office, to redo the part of the road they dug up. They must fulfil their duty or permission should not be given to them at all. We started applying wet mix yesterday to fill up the potholes. 

Who monitors the agency contractors?
In our ward, we monitor and ensure that the contractors cover the road they had dug. Drains are properly covered and there is no garbage. Re-tarring is not needed for the few potholes that have formed, patchworks will suffice. 95% of the road is in good condition. 

What works are remaining and how long will they take?
GAIL gas pipes are being laid all over the city, so we have given them permission to do so. Cauvery water pipe laying is almost done and we are filling the potholes in this area with wet mix. From now on, no other company will be given permission to dig SV Road to lay cables or pipes.