Better roads appear to be a distant dream

Better roads appear to be a distant dream
Deccan Herald

‘Intermittent rains’ and ‘tender process’ are their latest excuses. The Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) is yet to progress from a simple pothole-filling exercise. Better roads for your city will be a dream you will carry well into the New Year.

‘Intermittent rains’ and ‘tender process’ are their latest excuses. The Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) is yet to progress from a simple pothole-filling exercise. Better roads for your city will be a dream you will carry well into the New Year.

‘Fast-track works’ and ‘immediate repairs’ - the solutions that were announced by officials during the rains in September-October have got nowhere. Even the works which were exempted from the provisions of the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements (KTPP) Act are lagging.

“Every work will get on track by January end. We will put this summer to good use” said a well-placed officer of the BMP on the progress of road works.

In October, the BMP allotted some of the fast-track works exempted from the KTPP Act to the Karnataka Land Army Corporation. When contacted on Wednesday a top officer of the KLAC said the delay was due to ‘intermittent rains.’

“We do not want traffic diversions, work is being done in the night”, he explained and noted that February 15-- the deadline for their share of road works will be difficult to meet. Work has begun on 8 of the 10 roads allotted to them, he claimed, but the BMP insiders contested it.

At Jeevanbhimnagar which the KLAC officer listed under the areas where work is in progress, a BMP source pointed out that for the last 12 days the KLAC’s asphalt machine has been found near the Jeevanbhimanagar Market, but no work has been done.

The roads which have been allotted to the KLAC are-- Airport Road, Jeevanbhimanagar Main Road, 80 ft Road Indiranagar, 20th Main Koramangala, Sai Baba Temple Road in Ulsoor, Commissariat Road, Magrath Road, MG Road (Brigade Road to Trinity Circle), Airport Road via Kodigehalli, Koramangala 100 ft Road to 20th Main.

The differences between the BMP and the contractors over the revision of schedule of rates is the other issue. The market rate of asphalt alone has increased from Rs 13,473 per kg to Rs 14,915 per kg, but the BMP insists on rates that are two years old, said a contractor.

The BMP officials said that the contractors are expected to visit the site and submit estimate while making their bid; if rules are adhered to there will no issues on rates or quality, said a senior BMP officer. Quality-wise the officer was referring to the report of the High Court-appointed committee of experts which has indicted the contractors. Reportedly, the BMP on Tuesday set up a three-member sub-committee under its engineering wing to resolve the issue. The committee is expected to submit its report in 10 days.

Contacted early on Thursday for an update on road works, the chief engineers of all three zones of the BMP noted they were back from night shift - supervising pothole-filling. Asphalting has not started said one of them, adding, with road works having been sanctioned only recently, the agencies were mobilising the machinery.