BENGALURU: “You didn't keep the promise for Deepavali. Now Christmas is coming. Will you promise a real Merry Christmas for Bengaluru?” This was the question posed by the Karnataka High Court to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) when the counsel for the petitioner pointed out that there were potholes even after Deepavali. Earlier, the BBMP had said that it would make the city free of potholes by Deepavali. 

In reply, BBMP counsel V Sreenidhi submitted before a division bench that work on filling potholes was still going on and officers were working day and night to accomplish the task. The number of complaints of potholes has come down drastically, he said. 

Then the court observed that there should not be any potholes at all and that the city should be restored to its former glory. It adjourned the hearing to December 11.Earlier, the counsel for the petitioners, Vijayan Menon and others, who sought directions to the BBMP to fill potholes and ditches in city, had pointed out that potholes still existed. 

Meanwhile, the court asked its appointed commissioner, tasked with checking the quality of the potholes filling works, to attend the meeting of the Coordination Committee headed by the Chief Secretary and apprise them about the lapses on the part of BBMP engineers in filling potholes and give suggestions, if any, to ensure quality roads in city.