Commuters hit as footpath digging damages newly laid road

BENGALURU: Motorists commuting on Outer Ring Road in Whitefield are finding it difficult to negotiate the signal-free corridor at Varthur Kodi. The reason: the nearly 1-km stretch has been damaged with a private company digging up the newly constructed pavement. What’s worse, the debris from the footpath has covered the road, thanks to the recent rain.
Mahadevapura assistant executive engineer Swamy has filed a complaint with Whitefield police, who have booked the private company and its contractor under sections of the Karnataka Open Places Disfigurement Act.

“We had completed asphalting the road between Varthur Kodi and Whitefield. On October 3, we were inspecting the corridor and were shocked to see the damaged pavement and the road condition. On investigating, we found that a private firm had dug up the pavement (700ft) to lay underground cables, due to which rainwater has seeped in and damaged the road. What’s the point of BBMP filling potholes when acts like this will only end up creating more craters,” Swamy asked.

Whitefield police said they have booked a case against Raghu, staffer of Tripura Cable Construction and will question him soon. “The complainants claim they hadn’t given permission for the digging,” police said.

Jagadish Reddy, member of Varthur Rising, told TOI dug-up roads are a common sight across the city. “Why is no one taking the issue seriously? BBMP repairs and asphalts roads, which are dug within a week or 10 days. I strongly suspect the involvement of a mafia,” he said, adding, “Commuting between Varthur Kodi and Whitefield will be difficult during rain. These roads see heavy traffic, which will only make matters worse.”