An end in sight for motorists’ woes

Roads damaged by Metro Rail works will be repaired shortly: Officials
An end in sight for motorists’ woes
Bangalore, Oct 19, DH News Service:

For long, motorists have had to go through hell negotiating the craters that have developed on roads where the Namma Metro construction began.


While the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) state that repair works along most of these stretches are being done simultaneously with the Metro, the potholes and ditches coupled with construction material dumped on the wayside are evidence enough to prove otherwise.

But now, if the BMRCL officials are to be believed, the potholes may start vanishing over night. At a recent meeting between the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the BMRCL, the Metro officials have assured the Palike that the repair works on heavily damaged CMH Road, R V Road and portions of Brigade Road will commence shortly.

“We (BBMP) had a meeting recently with the top Metro officials and they have assured us that the repair works will commence by next week,” informed a Palike official. The BMRCL chief had also claimed that work will begin on two of these stretches, CMH Road and portions towards the Trinity Circle in the next 10 days.

BWSSB works

Asked about the delay in repairing the CMH Road stretch, an agitated BMRCL MD Sivasailam responded: “Are you not seeing that the BWSSB work is ongoing? We are waiting for them to complete their work and only then can we begin the repairing of the Road.”

Sivasailam further stated that only three stretches of roads have been so far identified. The BMRCL chief refused to acknowledge any other bad stretches under its construction areas in the city.

According to the BBMP, the maintenance of roads where the BMRCL has commenced works is the responsibility of BMRCL. “It is written in the contract that the roads where the BMRCL constructions have begun, it is their (BMRCL) responsibility to maintain them. The BBMP will be shortly expediting the message to address the maintenance issues to the BMRCL MD shortly,” informed BBMP Commissioner, Bharath Lal Meena.
The Commissioner further stated that the Palike will be asking the BMRCL to strengthen the alternative roads that will be used by motorists in case of future closure of the pothole ridden roads for repair work.

BMRCL has said in its defence that the authorities have already begun to fill potholes along Reach One in the city and are maintaining the roads as and when construction has commenced in various parts of the city.

“We are maintaining the roads where the construction has begun and it is our policy to ensure that the entire road will be re-laid once the construction activity finishes,” informed BMRCL spokesperson. The BMRCL MD meanwhile said that he was unaware of any request to strengthen the alternative roads for the motorists and hence refused to answer the question.