CM Siddaramaiah sets new deadline to fill potholes on Bengaluru roads

BENGALURU/MYSURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has set a new deadline — November 6 — to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to fill all the potholes on the city roads. The civic agency officials had failed to comply with the two-week deadline set by the CM earlier this month. “The deadline has been extended to November 6 after the Mayor and BBMP commissioner sought more time as they could not complete the works due to rains,’’ Chief Minister Siddaramaiah told reporters in Mysuru on Monday.

After two people died in an accident on Mysuru Road flyover in Bengaluru, caused partly due to potholes, the CM had inspected the spot and directed the civic agency officials to repair the roads and fill potholes within two weeks. Bengaluru Mayor Sampath Raj had told media on October 10 that the Chief Minister had directed the BBMP to complete the task within 15 days.  But they could not finish the work as it was raining till October 17.  “I wrote to the CM requesting for another 10 days time to repair all the roads. After discussing with us, the CM agreed to extend the deadline,’’ he said.

According to Mayor, over 95 per cent of the work has been completed till date. “We are confident of finishing the remaining task within the next few days. After November 6, if there are any potholes on the city roads, Chief Engineers will be held responsible and action will be taken against them,” he said.
“Our engineers and contractors are on the job - day and night, filling potholes. We are confident about completing the task within the deadline set by the CM,’’ he added.

However, experts have raised concerns over the quality of work as the BBMP was initially using cold mix to fill potholes. “There may be some concerns about the quality of work as pothole filling drive was taken up during rains . We will ensure that the contractors do quality job,’’ he added.