HC tells BMP to consult panel, improve roads

HC tells BMP to consult panel, improve roads

Deccan Herald
The High Court on Thursday directed the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike to consult the experts committee set up by it and take suitable corrective measures on the quality of roads in the City.

The order was issued by the division bench comprising Chief Justice Cyriac Joseph and Justice N K Patil after it took note of the Capt Raja Rao committee’s recommendations in total.

BMP Commissioner K Jairaj told the court that as on date the BMP has acted upon 57 of the 112 recommendations made by the committee and action is due on another 50 of them. The BMP however has objections to about five of the recommendations, it was noted.

The objections pertain mainly to the recommendations on maintenance of house-front drains and recycling of asphalt surface.

On the recommendation that maintenance of roads will become easier if the responsibility for maintenance of house-front drains is entrusted to the people themselves, the BMP said that it was unviable.

On the recommendation that the asphalt surface be wholly re-laid and the asphalt be recycled, the BMP said that it would be a burdensome exercise.

On the Committee’s observation that some of the road works were entrusted to the Karnataka Land Army Corporation at a much higher cost, the BMP clarified that they were works entrusted under the special category ‘flood relief’.

It was entrusted under government orders and no other work was issued thus, the BMP said. The court has posted further hearings on the issue to August 30.