Bumpy roads blot on mega projects

Bumpy roads blot on mega projects
Deccan Herald

The roads around many project sites are giving motorists a nightmare. The laxity of the officials has only compounded their woes.

Want to test the efficacy of the shock absorbers of your new bike? Just ride on a road around any construction site of the mega city projects undertaken by utility providers in the city, and you will be shell-shocked with the results.

Whether it is the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike’s (BMP) Rajajinagar Entrance Grade Separator, Modi Road-Chord Road Underpass, Nehrunagar Extra Carriage way, National College Flyover or Bangalore Development Authority’s (BDA) Anand Rao Circle flyover, or the Airport Road Flyover projects, both diversion and approach roads around them are in the worst condition. Heavy rain that lashed the city recently has washed away the asphalt and formed huge craters. As a result, traffic movement has become slow with motorists bumping into each other most of the time.

However, both BMP and BDA officials are turning a blind eye to this problem. It is the responsibility of the respective contractors to keep approach and diversion roads around the construction sites in good condition, BMP official sources told Deccan Herald.

As per the contract signed between the utility providers and the contractors, the latter should maintain all roads passing through the project sites. Road maintenance works include pothole filling, asphalting and keeping the roads free of any construction materials. The contractors have not complied with these conditions.

“Not only BMP and BDA, the traffic police are also to be blamed. For, they too have turned a blind eye and have not raised the issue of inconvenience being caused to motorists. The police can file cases against contractors for any lapse leading to public inconvenience,” they said.

The agreement also specifies that contractors could be charged double the amount of what is spent on road maintenance if utility providers themselves do the maintenance work. “Either way, it should be ensured that roads are in good condition near the project sites,” officials said.

When contacted, BMP Technical Advisor Jai Prasad assured that the problem would be solved at the earliest. “Diversion roads at all project sites get damaged due to movement of heavy machines and heavy traffic,” he added.

Work delayed

The work on all these infrastructure projects has been delayed by several months and there is no sign of their completion in near future.

Mr Prasad said all projects undertaken by the BMP were nearing completion and they would be thrown open for traffic within three months.