On ground zero, work at snail’s pace

On ground zero, work at snail’s pace
Deccan herald

Civil works on only two roads – 80 Feet Road, Indiranagar, and Commissariat Road – have been completed, according to the report submitted by the BMP at the eighth meeting of the Empowered Committee on Infrastructure, headed by Chief Secretary B K Das, on Friday.

If Chief Minister H D Kumaaraswamy really meant business when he promised to improve Bangalore’s roads “within three months”, perhaps it is time he gets cracking. A month before the expiry date, the progress report of the upgradation project of the 19 IT/BT roads has revealed that the upgradation on 10 roads is still under 25 per cent.

Civil works on only two roads – 80 Feet Road, Indiranagar, and Commissariat Road – have been completed, according to the report submitted by the BMP at the eighth meeting of the Empowered Committee on Infrastructure, headed by Chief Secretary B K Das, on Friday. Meanwhile, the progress on stretches like the Lower Agram Road and M G Road (from Brigade Road junction to Trinity junction) are as low as 2.2 per cent and 5 per cent respectively.

When Deccan Herald made a tour of the roads between 10 am and 12 noon on Friday, there was no sign of serious road building activity. Trucks loaded with mortar and two pavers were parked at the side of 80 Feet Road, Indiranagar, but there were only 10 labourers at work in the two-kilometre stretch. Though there were several pavement slabs and cement piled up on roads around M G Road, not a single labourer was spotted. Side-walk upgradation was left incomplete in several places on 20th Main Road, Koramangala.

According to the Karnataka Land Army Corporation, that is struggling to meet its May 15 deadline, festivals are playing spoilsport, interrupting the work. Post-Mahashivaratri, Ugadi and Ramanavami, nearly two weeks have been lost, as labourers took a trip back home for family reunions. “Many of the labourers are from Tamil Nadu and Andhra, and they go away for five-six days each time there is a festival. This is turning out to be a big problem,” said a KLAC official.

Another factor for delays is that the scope of work has increased three-fold, from Rs 15 crore in October to Rs 48 crore in March. “Several new items have been included in the list, like drain covers, provision for two ducts below the curve, bed concrete laying and widening of sidewalks, which have increased the work load.”

Progress report

Work done Roads

0-25% Dickenson Road, M G Road, Primrose Road-Brunton Road- Church Street, Museum Road-Hayes Road-Convent Road,

Tippasandra Main Road, Lower Agram Road, 8th Main

Koramangala, 7th Cross, Koramangala, 5th Cross, Koramangala, Vittal Mallya Road-Lavelle Road-Madras Bank Road.

25-50% 1st Cross Road, Koramangala, 20th Main, Koramangala,

80 Feet Road, Indiranagar, Ulsoor Road, Magrath Road

50-75% Airport Road, Commissariat Road

75-100% Jeevanbhima Nagar Road, 12th Main, Indiranagar

(* According to progress report submitted by BMP on April 7)