BENGALURU : The multi-crore Tender SURE project which was touted to be superior to other roads has slowly begun to show cracks in its quality. The roads and footpath in the Central Business District (CBD) were newly laid with the promise of no more re-digging and ensuring utility lines. Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) also vouched that it would last for at least five years. Three years after former CM Siddaramaiah inaugurated the project on St Marks Road, activists find that the tiles on the footpath are breaking.

The intersection of St Marks Road and Church Street see construction debris damaging sides of the footpath and live wires lying loose on the road. These roads were a pilot for other roads, according to Jana Urban Space Foundation, that started the project in 2012. Around `115.33 crores was spent in the first package, for seven roads in the CBD area. The roads include St Marks Road, Residency Road, Cunningham Road, Vittal Mallya Hospital Road, and Commissariat Road. 

Peter Samson, an activist who has been campaigning against Tender SURE roads, highlighted the issues with this project. “They spent around `12 crore per km in 2015 and said the roads and footpath would remain untouched for five years. Already the slabs on St Marks Road and Residency Road footpath have begun to give away.

As and when it rains, the footpath will sink further. They promised all the utility cables would be underneath the pavement, they are now above the ground. Illegal internet or phone wires are hanging in the air, proving to be dangerous. They have fooled the public and looted the taxpayers’ money and done a shoddy job,” Peter protested.

The footpath from St Marks Circle towards Residency Road is most damaged. With small bunches of broken, sunken tiles, and cement spilling out, one can see how the pedestrian’s path is left in a dilapidated state. At the footpath opposite the State Bank of India head office and St Joseph’s High School premises, wires can be seen hanging from trees and lying on the footpath near their roots.

Highlighting that the roads are not being maintained as required, Peter said, “When it rained, the drains were clogged and water collected on Residency Road near Bishop Cotton School. BBMP drilled the side of the road to drain some water, which is not supposed to be done as per the Tender SURE model.”
Blaming the damaged footpath on rodents, Basavaraj Kabade, executive engineer, project central of BBMP, said,” Food waste is disposed by commercial establishments on the footpath. This invites rodents to dig up the tiles on the footpath. Unauthorized OFC (Optical Fibre Cables) are also laid without our knowledge in the night, wherein companies dig up the footpath to lay their internet or phone cables. These are the only reasons the tiles may be sinking. They are not of poor quality.”

The engineer claims action will be taken on the unauthorised cables, “I have written to the OFC department of BBMP and highlighted the issue of unauthorised cables. They will look into it. These companies were not ready to go underground along with other utilities that were laid below the footpath at the time of construction. As for the sinking tiles, we will ask the contractor to place lean concrete to fix it,” he added. 

When asked about the five-year guarantee that was put forth by BBMP in 2015,  Basavaraj said,” Any project will have its issues. If there are external problems like rodents and illegal OFCs, damage to the footpath is bound to happen. As for waterlogging, I have not come across any on Tender SURE roads. If there is, we will fix it”