7,000 potholes resurface after rains, is this the answer to Rs 3.96 crore funds the BBMP received?
- Rs 3.96 lakh fund for pothole repair goes down the drain due to BBMP’s untimely and shoddy work.
- Once the pothole is covered, the road should be able to withstand the pressure of the elements but here they develop craters in weeks.
- Henceforth contractors will be paid only half money for pothole filling project.
- Only after the work is proved good the remaining money will be released.
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Residents of Bengaluru will remember that not so long ago potholes over the city were being filled at a record pace. Summer showers have exposed chinks in the BBMP’s road laying plans and their claims of giving good roads as over 7,045 killer craters have resurfaced in few weeks time after tarring these roads.
The rains were enough to wash away the poor quality or tarring done on potholes. The issue of potholes is not new, but the BBMP has not learnt from the past. Every year, there are reports of people getting injured and losing life due to poor maintenance of roads.
Last year 16-year-old Pallavi, a  pillion rider died. She fell from the bike when the rider swerved to avoid a pothole in Mysuru road. In a similar incident in 2015, Stuti Pandey died at Marathalli when her husband too swerved to avoid a pothole.
The engineers and mobility experts say if the potholes are fixed with quality material, the wearing and tearing will not damage the surface, since pothole covering in BBMP has become round-the-year task. This shows the poor quality of work. Tyre punctures, bent wheels, bent shock absorbers have become common for motorists using BBMP roads.
"The tarring has to be done with the best materials, but in BBMP everything is done in a haphazard manner and with intention to loot money hence the motorists and pedestrians using BBMP roads pay the price with loss of life or property," said MN Shreehari, Urban Transport and Traffic Expert.
Mayor G Padmavathi who earlier had said that BBMP also received Rs 45 crore fund for covering potholes and asphalt ahead of rains blamed the officials for delay in the execution of pothole repair work. The work, planning and reports have to prepared and executed by concerned engineers but they are least bothered.Â
Every year from BBMP's account Rs 2 lakh fund is released to ward engineers account for covering potholes but within few weeks after the work, the crater is back. Had the quality work done on time, the numbers would not have increased.
"Public representatives told that the funds for getting rid of potholes is not sufficient and so we will give Rs 20 lakh for each ward, in fact, in few wards we already have given the amount. For now the short-term measures will be taken up, once the monsoon is over, the roads repair work will taken. Once the work is complete, the contractors will be held responsible if such potholes resurface," the Mayor said, and added that the BBMP engineers have been asked, not make full payment to contractors. The BBMP will wait for months to see the quality of  work and only then clear the pending amount.
According BBMP Engineering Department, April report, BBMP had 31,281 potholes  and BBMP covered 24,236 out that, still it has 7,045 potholes left to repair. With last week's rains, numbers are likely to go up. East zone with 2,923 potholes and West Zone with 2,264 tops the list for having most number of such pot holes.
BBMP shoddy job makes it a nightmare for the Traffic Department
The first department to suffer the causality during monsoon is traffic as the vehicular movement becomes very slow. Due to cracked roads, potholes and flooding during  monsoons, motorists drive gingerly, holding up traffic.
"Many a times we have to cover the potholes. Although it is BBMP's work, but we stopped relying on them as they do poor quality work and never reach on time during emergency," said a senior official from Bengaluru Traffic Department.
