Potholes have appeared across the city with the rain. This is a common problem in Bengaluru, with unscientifically-filled potholes re-opening, existing ones becoming waterlogged and a new batch appearing across the city, too. BBMP has decided to take action this year, and will penalise the engineers concerned at various levels for badly-filled potholes. The Palike will keep track of complaints and if these are with regard to recently-filled potholes, the official will have to pay Rs 1000 per instance. Will this have an impact, ask Aknisree Karthik and Mujahid Deputy
The city is receiving good rainfall from the past few days. It is good that the city is getting rains, what is bothering the motorists are the pothole-ridden roads. Recent rains have led to more potholes at several major and interior roads in the city.
BBMP engineering chief Mr M R Venkatesh had stated that the ward-level engineers concerned will be held responsible if the potholes are not filled scientifically. He also said that the jurisdictional assistant engineers will have to cough up Rs 1,000 per pothole for every unscientifically filled pothole.
BBMP’s work quality and its promises are known to all. Potholes continue to haunt motorists as there are numerous potholes in the city which are not filled yet and some of the ones which are filled too are of poor quality notwithstanding rains. Ongoing works taken up by the BMRCL, BWSSB and BESCOM too have contributed their bit in damaging the roads and creating potholes.
Bannerghatta Road, Wilson Garden, Double Road, BVK Iyengar Road, Mysore Road, Kanakapura Road, Varthur Road, K R Puram, Outer Ring Road are some of the roads ridden with potholes. “Last year too, we found major roads in the city ridden with potholes. During the Congress government, many people even died while avoiding potholes. So what lessons has the BBMP learnt in all these years?” questioned Mr Subba Reddy, a commuter. He said the pothole issue surfaces every year and this is just a reflection of the poor-quality roads laid by the BBMP.
“In many developed countries, roads last many years even though they have rains all year. How do roads in such countries last that many years? Bengaluru does not receive rain throughout the year. Just for one rainy season, the roads are ridden with numerous potholes,” he lamented.
BBMP Mayor Gangambike too claimed that the engineers will be suspended if potholes are not filled. But all seems to be only in words and nothing in action.
While there are no official figures on the total number of potholes in the city, commuters complain about them on all major roads in the city.
Q&A with Gangambike Mallikarjun Bengaluru Mayor
BBMP rushes to complaint spots to fill potholes
The city is ridden with potholes, what is the BBMP doing about this?
Work is in progress. Our men are doing their duty of filling the potholes and doing so on a war footing. Our first priority is on stretches about which there have been the most complaints.
At many places, newly-filled potholes are getting washed away by rains. How many engineers are fined for not doing their duty effectively?
Restoration works are going in full swing. At the zonal level, Assistant Engineers are responsible, at the constituency levels Assistant Executive Engineers are responsible and at the zonal level the Chief Engineers will be held responsible if the pothole filled is found unscientific, or if the filling is washed away by rains. As of now, we have not penalised any engineers. But if they are found guilty, we will surely take action and for every single pothole filled unscientifically, Rs 1000 will be deducted from their salary.
How is the work being monitored? How will the BBMP know if the method of filling the pothole has been scientific or unscientific?
Our engineers have formed a cell where they will inspect the filled potholes. Then, if we receive complaints about potholes that we know were filled recently, we will inspect those and take necessary action.
