The saga of perennially bad roads

The saga of perennially bad roads


The unmotorable Vijayanagar Main Road
Navya |ENS
30 Sep 2008 08:39:00 AM IST

BANGALORE: With the monsoon having come to an end, one would have expected the maintenance work of roads to be in full swing.

But that is not the case and the potholes are everywhere.

Though the BBMP claims that asphalting is done on all roads as per scientific standards, that does not reflect in the work done on the ground. Moving around the city it is not hard to find potholes.

In the name of filling up the potholes, the tar and gravel mixture is dumped into them without the proper process being followed. The mixture is left to be spread out by passing vehicles. The mixture thus deposited flows out of the potholes, posing a potential threat to motorists and worsening the road condition. The poor quality of work results in the asphalt wearing out fast.

On the double road in Indiranagar, several potholes which were left unattended till recently, were filled up with the mixture in an improper manner. The same was the treatment meted out to roads connecting it.

“In some areas, potholes have not been filled up at all, increasing the risk of accidents.

In addition to causing injuries to the riders, it could lead to vehicles getting damaged,” says Sudhir, a motorist.

“The procedure for filling a pothole is elaborate. First it has to be filled with two layers of the mixture to the level of the road and covered by a seal coat. This is not being followed here,” he adds.

Hence, roads that are supposed to last ten years do not endure even a year. Poor construction and heavy rain damage the roads, says prof M N Sreehari, member of the Basic Infrastructure Development Committee appointed by the government.

BBMP had promised to complete the work on major roads by September 20.

However, potholes on the major roads have not been filled. N R Road, HMT Road, JC Road, Bannerghatta Road, Mysore Road and roads in BTM Layout are some of those, where potholes are crying for attention. “The connecting road from HMT Road to BEL Circle to HMT Post Office, has been in a pathetic condition for the last three years at least.

The asphaltation is done every year, but soon it goes back to the same old condition,” says a commuter.

BBMP has been working during the nights also, laying new roads. But, roads that are in an extremely bad shape are neglected. Also, reasonably good roads are repaired. For instance, the road connecting Raj Bhavan with the Commissioner’s office has been relaid many times, while many other roads in surrounding areas are yet to see any action.

“The maintenance of roads is a regular affair, so no specific project was chalked out. However, we have decided to complete all maintenance works within a few days,” says K R Srinivas, BBMP Special Commissioner (Projects).

/Authorities say that the stronger bitumen mix should be used instead of the coal tar mix for asphaltation. “For bitumen mix to be used, the road must be dry for at least 48 hours. So it is ruled out, forcing us to use coal mix during rainy season,” says Srinivas. Plastic wastes are also being used in asphaltation to improve the quality of roads. Clearly, the plans have just remained on paper. Much needs to be done for the roads to be safe for the commuter.