Potholes on 847 km of Bengaluru roads: BBMP

BENGALURU: The BBMP on Thursday informed the Karnataka HC that it has identified 847 km stretches of road riddled with potholes, which need repair. The road identified amounts to 61 per cent of the total 1,392 km stretches of road in the city. A report in this regard was presented before a division ben­ch comprising Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi and Justice Ashok S Kinagi by BBMP counsel V Srinidhi in the presence of Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath and Chief Engineer M Lokesh. The report was submitted during the hearing of a PIL filed by Vijayan Menon and others in 2015.  

Referring to media reports that roads repaired for PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Bengaluru had been damaged, the court pulled up Girinath saying it is because of the Palike authorities that Bengaluru gets a bad name. The BBMP counsel however told the court that the PM did not use the roads that were damaged due to seepage.  

He submitted that BBMP entered into an agreement with American Road Technology Solutions (ARTS) on Wednesday and work orders for filling potholes on 397 km had been issued, besides providing a Python machine for the works. The remaining work for 576 km is to be finalised for which tender was invited on Wednesday.

In order to make payment to the contractor, ARTS, more transparent, he told the court that a payment schedule will be issued as per which the contractor would be required to submit the measurement book, monthly bills, geo-tagged photographs by the 5th of every month and thereafter pending bill would be processed and payment would be made within one week. The court directed the BBMP to submit a status report on July 27, 2022.