Petrol pumps add to City’s road woes

Petrol pumps add to City’s road woes

Vijay Times

IF you were among those who thought that petrol bunks had nothing to do with bad roads, think again.

According to the expert committee constituted by the High Court to study the condition of roads and drains in the City,the discharge of rain water from swanky petrol pumps situated across the City on to the roads had caused them to deteriorate.

The three-member committee, which had gone around the City, had found that the surroundings of petrol pumps lacked proper drainage facilities. This had resulted in rain water getting accumulated on the roads, leading to their ruin, Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP)sources said.

The committee has also said that spilt oil and other petroleum products had contributed to the bad condition of the roads. Bangalore had around 250 petrol bunks located in and around the City, the source added.

Stating that most bunks were situated on the corners of major roads, the source said that the committee had pointed out that stretches at corners and junctions had been battered.

This, the committee had said, was due to motorists applying brakes to negotiate turns. The committee had recommended that corners be cemented or mastic surface (high-quality asphalt) be used in such areas to resolve the problem.

The committee, in its earlier report, had pointed out that oil, petrol and kerosene spilt on roads by vehicles repaired at road-side garages, had contributed to the deterioration of the roads, the source informed.

However, the source also said that the committee had submitted four voluminous bimonthly reports. It had made certain important recommendations to the BMP to further enhance its functioning. Nevertheless, the recommendations have not been implemented.