. . . AND THEY CALL THIS A ROAD

. . . AND THEY CALL THIS A ROAD

Total road length
9,697 km
Total length of arterial roads
430 km
Total length of sub-arterial roads
325 km
Total area
800 sq km
Categories of roads
Arterial roads, sub-arterial roads, collectors and streets
Types of roads
Asphalted, metal, gravel and concrete
Money talk
Amount spent on road repair 2008-09
Rs 1,500 crore
2007-08
Rs 1,100 crore
2006-07
Rs 800 crore Times View
After every rainstorm, civic authorities parrot the lines, “It was unprecendented. Now road repairs can be done only after monsoon.” Citizens don’t buy that argument, because our roads forever remain works in progress. Bangalore, arguably India’s best known city abroad, doesn’t deserve this. What does it take to keep the surface of our roads smooth and safe? Quality work and regular monitoring. Often the yawning craters on our roads are filled with sand and rubble, only to give motorists a more nightmarish time. If new arterial roads can’t stand wear and subsidence even for a few months after they are laid, who is accountable? What’s being done with the taxpayers’ money? Only the BBMP can answer that.

This Rough Track is also known as Rest House road, which cuts through a premium residential locality off Church Street. Its condition is not unrivalled really. Most arterial roads in Bangalore have crumbled. Officials throw their hands up as usual, blaming the monsoon. But the fact is that many roads break down after even a short spell of rain