BWSSB wreaks havoc on City roads

BWSSB wreaks havoc on City roads
Bangalore, June 21, DHNS:

Many roads in the City have become a nightmare for pedestrians and vehicle users, thanks to the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and many other agencies that dig up roads and leave these stretches unrepaired.

Thousands of litres of precious potable water flowed on Brunton Road when a private telecom company, without intimating the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the BWSSB, damaged water supply lines while digging up the road for laying cables.

The clandestine operation of the company came to light only when a BWSSB pipeline was damaged and thousands of litres of water went waste. However, BBMP engineers were in the dark till Monday night.

This is not an isolated incident. According to BBMP officials, the BWSSB is the “biggest enemy” of City roads. The Palike’s West Zone officials say the BWSSB had undertaken replacement of old sewerage lines with new ones at Manjunatha Nagar Road and other areas.

It also had agreed to pay about Rs 5 crore to the Palike in lieu of digging roads in the BBMP West Zone. “But we are yet get the amount,” said an official.

He said there is a long list of roads damaged by the BWSSB in West Zone. In East zone, where the BWSSB is replacing old pipelines, the damage amounts to Rs 2.5 crore.

“Pushpanjali Theatre Road and its crossroads have been dug up badly,” said a senior official. The Metro Rail project has also forced the KPTCL to dig roads and relocate power lines at many places, including the SJRC College area.

At Mahadevpura, road digging will commence soon, according to Palike officials. In the same area, the BWSSB has already embarked upon laying the Cauvery IV stage pipelines.

Underground drainage and water pipeline projects will follow soon.

Metro Reach II work, which also involves digging up roads, is set to begin.
The BBMP expects nearly 25-30 km of roads to be opened up for these projects in the near future.

The BWSSB has to relay new underground drainage and water pipelines at Bommanhalli soon.

At Yelahanka, on the other side of the City, the BWSSB projects are to begin soon.

Master plan

“We expect the BWSSB to provide us with their master plan to replace old underground drainage and new water pipelines. The work should commence in the next two months and carry on for another six months,” said an official.

Lack of coordination among civic agencies and private firms is the biggest problem that the BBMP is facing these days.

“We cannot object to BWSSB officials replacing or repairing pipelines, for these are very sensitive issues,” said an official.