BCC, mend your ways and pavements

BCC, mend your ways and pavements
Thanks To Uneven Footpaths In City, Pedestrians Walk On The Wild Side
Times of India

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Amidst a cacophonous medley of fourwheelers, two-wheelers, heavy-traffic vehicles and the in-your-face autowallahs, the humble pedestrian is busy scrambling for an inch of space on the crammed road. Not for him the pavements. Not that the pedestrian loves to court risk walking amidst a sea of vehicles but it’s just that there’s no pavement worth its salt — or slabs.

Did someone say road safety? The pedestrian’s angry retort is: “Show us welllaid pavements on which we can walk safe. Who dares walk on moon-surfaced pavements?’’

The pavements were done up as part of road works until last year when the Bangalore City Corporation (BCC) planned a Rs 70-crore comprehensive project to remodel them. The first phase redoing 96 km of pavements at a cost of Rs 20 crore was awarded to the state government undertaking, Karnataka Land Army Corporation Ltd (KLACL).
As is with the BCC, the hype died down sooner than it lasted. The organisation received criticism about inferior quality of pavements, elected representatives made a hullabaloo over the shoddy work and, finally, the BCC gave Land Army the marching orders.

Newly laid interlocking blocks have already chipped off; the pavements have undulations — some have collapsed with craters. Now, the corporation wants to tender the second phase of laying 300 km of pavements at a cost of Rs 50 crore and split it into packages.

At some places, the pavements look neat and usable. For instance, the interlocking blocks in Cubbon Park are a treat to walk on. Sadly, that is an exception than a rule. Of the city’s 3,000-odd km of pavements, only 100 km are paved with interlocking blocks. About 1,500 km have age-old stone slabs which exist in residential areas and subarterial roads. The rest are unpaved.

What ails the city’s pavements? Let’s get it straight: Sheer apathy of the officials. “Pavements, per se, were not considered a separate work, requiring periodic maintenance. Pavements were cleaned and repaired whenever road-laying was taken up. The concept of concrete and interlocking pavements was floated only about three years ago,’’ BCC engineers said.

Road experts said the conventional stone slabs are the best bet for pavement because they are sturdy and, therefore, last long. The BCC has done a successful experiment with the stone slabs in Hanumanthanagar ward. Here, the Sira granite stone is used for pavement, which has both strength and t r a d i t i o n a l look. “Instead of spending crores of rupees on interlocking blocks which are just a mere fancy, the BCC could have done up the pavements with p o l i s h e d stone slabs laid evenly. Pave m e n t s take heavy p e d e s t r i a n load and should be done up with longlasting materials,’’ experts argued.

The pavements in the central areas, which till recently had stone slabs, now sport interlocking blocks. The removed slabs have been dumped in the BCC’s backyard. This is one of the reasons for the BCC Council venting its ire on the Land Army for “causing losses to the BCC coffers’’.

But the Land Army denies it. “We were asked to remove the stone slabs and dump them in the BCC backyard. We have done just that. These slabs have been reused on the pavements of subarterial roads and on footpaths on the outskirts such as Mysore Road, Bannerghatta Ring Road, Hebbal Road, New BEL Road, Rajkumar Road and Tumkur Road,’’ Land Army joint director S.V. Venkatesh Murthy said.

Murthy claimed that the BCC received a round of applause from the Reno City delegation that visited the city recently. The Land Army has asked the BCC to cough up the Rs 8.5 crore spent on the project and the corporation wants time to check the bills submitted. Amidst this, the second phase of pavement remodelling is set to begin.
Experts said had BCC kept a vigil on the works — by conducting regular inspections, testing samples and better coordination with the Land Army officials — the city could have had better pavements.

Caught in the BCC-Land Army spat is the pedestrian, whose walk on uneven footpaths is something akin to a Russian ballet done amateurishly — hands and legs flailing to the accompaniment of melody generated by traffic chaos.

BCC FINDINGS

BCC quality control laboratory which tested the samples of interlocking blocks collected at various places where work had been carried out by the Land Army: At Queen’s road, the compressive strength of the samples showed 204.69 kg/sqcm as against the 300 kg/sqcm specified. The samples of interlocking blocks collected at Richmond Road, Kasturba Road and Residency Road showed a compressive strength of 245.08 kg/sqcm; 257.12 kg/sqcm and 207.06 kg/sqcm respectively as against the specified strength of 281 kg/sqcm. The Race Course Road pavement samples showed that the compressive strength was 206.81 kg/sqcm as against 281 kg/sqcm. At the stretch between St Joseph’s College and Brigade Road, the compressive strength was 278.87 kg/sqcm as against 300 kg/sqcm. The Land Army’s observations of the same samples, test conducted by Bangalore University: Queen’s road: Compressive strength of 394.2 kg/sqcm. Kasturba Road: 404.3 kg/sqcm. Richmond Road: 404 kg/sqcm.

CHRONOLOGY OF THE CONTRACT

2003

BCC awards the work contract of first phase of remodelling of 96 km of pavement at the cost of Rs 20 crore to KLACL. September 2003: Land Army offers to do the work at a reduced price — Rs 399/sq mtr interlocking block as against Rs 500, if the second phase of work is entrusted to the organisation.

2004

Samples are tested in the BCC’s laboratory which gives out negative results. On the contrary, the tests carried out by the Land Army shows that the work executed is as per norms specified. Elected representatives make noise alleging that the quality of work is inferior. Taking stock of the complaints, the BCC council decides to take up technical review of the works that have already been implemented. Works committee recommends dropping the organisation from the second phase work. BCC council approves the resolution and gives Land Army marching orders.

Of the 3,000-km pavement stretch, only about 100 km have interlocking blocks; about 1,500 km of pavements have stone slabs and the rest are unpaved.

Till three years ago, there was no comprehensive project for the remodelling of pavements. Footpath development was being carried out as a part of road works.

The BCC will take up the second phase of pavement remodelling under which 300 km of pavements will be re-done at a cost of Rs 50 crore.