Bengaluru: A decade-old digital initiative designed to track every road in Bengaluru is back in focus as the city looks to tackle recurring potholes, repeated roadworks and alleged duplication of civic projects.
The Road History Project, first conceived over a decade ago, has regained attention after Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda criticised officials of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) over the city’s annual pothole-filling exercise. He cautioned engineers against the practice popularly referred to as “Hale Kallu, Hosa Billu”—a Kannada phrase implying old work being billed as new.
A digital record for every road
The Road History Project was conceptualised by Manjunath Raju, former chairman of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Taxation and Finance Committee. It was envisioned as an online Geographic Information System (GIS)-based platform that would assign every road a unique identification number and maintain its complete history.
The platform digitally maps roads along with drains, underground cables and other civic assets, enabling authorities to monitor infrastructure works and maintain a comprehensive database. It was also intended to track unauthorised road cutting by optical fibre companies and excavation by agencies such as the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM).
Improving transparency and accountability
According to civic activists, the project could help prevent multiple departments from repeatedly digging or resurfacing the same roads while reducing the possibility of overlapping payments to contractors.
More than 13,000 kilometres of Bengaluru’s roads were documented under the initiative. However, officials say the platform was never fully utilised, limiting its effectiveness in preventing repeated roadworks and unnecessary public expenditure.
If implemented effectively, the system could record road allocations, maintenance history, pothole complaints and repair details, making it easier for citizens and authorities to monitor civic works and improve accountability.
A step towards smarter road management
With Bengaluru continuing to grapple with potholes and frequent road excavations, officials and civic experts believe reviving the Road History Project could help bring greater coordination among government agencies while ensuring public funds are spent more efficiently