BMP sticks to ‘facts’ and ignores reality

THE NEVER-ENDING WOES OF A CITY THAT’S FAST LOSING ALL ITS CHARM...
BMP sticks to ‘facts’ and ignores reality
Deccan Herald

BMP engineers say the increased density of vehicles is responsible for the number of potholes. But the potholes are also proof of substandard work.

Even though bumpy rides continue all across the City of Bangalore, the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike claims that there are just 882 potholes within the 226 square kilometre of area coming under its jurisdiction.

But wait. Don’t race away assuming that the BMP is speaking the truth. For, excluding a few important roads, a majority of them in Bangalore are in bad shape, with potholes big enough to topple you off the road. Then how come these facts and figures? According to sources, these are the same figures that are made available to the public at any point of time in a year.

The heavy rains that lashed the City last week have left several roads battered and potholed, but the BMP is yet to come forward to fill them up, people say. Despite this, the BMP’s records show that there are only 882 potholes which need to be filled.

According to BMP engineers, the increased number of potholes is because the density of vehicles is more than the roads can take. But the number of potholes is also proof of the sub-standard work by the BMP and the duty for duty’s sake attitude, say people.

Same situation

Despite being given complete powers to recruit workers to fill up the potholes in time and the freedom to finalise all other details in this connection, the zonal engineers have not done anything. As such, the situation remains the same as ever.

“While the traffic density of the roads in the City is limited to seven lakh vehicles, over 22 lakh vehicles ply on these roads today. This is the main reason for the roads to fall apart and the process of filling up potholes to have become continuous,” says a BMP engineer. According to the BMP, more than 40,483 potholes have been identified in the City and of these, 40,101 filled up till date.

“The BMP had initiated precautionary measures nearly four months ago thanks to which the roads have not been damaged much this time. In some places, potholes have been created due to heavy rains. Immediate steps will be initiated to fill them up soon as the rain stops,” Mayor R Narayanaswamy said. But the potholes on the road from Vidyapeetha Circle of Kathriguppe Main Road till the Ring Road, Old Madras Road, Sarjapur Road, Old Tharagupet, Kadugondanahalli, Kalasipalya and others are proof to the kind of work done till date.

So too with the roads in Chamarajpet, the 24th Main Road of JP Nagar 6th Phase, 17th Cross, Malleswaram, Sampige Road, MICO Layout, KR Road, Sanjaynagar Main Road, Bellary Road and others. As for the wards which have been included in the BMP jurisdiction, the roads themselves are in bad shape, leave alone the potholes.

“It has been years since the roads in the City were developed. The durability of these roads has diminished. If there is to be no potholes, and to ensure quality, the older asphalting has to be removed completely and a new layer should be laid,” says a BMP member.



FIGURING OUT
*BMP records show only 882 potholes
*BMP claims 40,101 potholes have been filled.