Bengaluru: Nearly 90% of the city’s potholes have been filled up, claimed the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), a day before the deadline set by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. While experts termed Chief Minister’s diktat unscientific and unrealistic, the ground reality remains different as potholes continue to dot several stretches.
Monday, October 23 is the last day for the BBMP and the contractors to fill up all potholes in the city limits whereas estimated completion date to fill up all potholes on interior roads has been set as October 25.
The BBMP officials held a review meeting on Sunday, and as per the data compiled by officials at ward levels, 88.45 per cent of potholes on interior roads have been filled as on Sunday.
On interior roads, 16,609 potholes were initially identified and 3,116 were identified later. Of these, 17,787 have been filled up and 1,938 remain. On major roads, 4,660 potholes were initially identified and 1,163 were added later. Of these, 5,136 potholes have been attended to, and 687 remain, BBMP claims.
However, several major roads and stretches in many localities still have numerous potholes. Such major roads include major stretch on Ballari Road from Mekhri Circle, Banaswadi Main Road, KR Road and adjacent stretches and Goodshed Road near Majestic bus-stand.
Areas in which several roads are still bad include Chamarajpet, KR Market, Kumara Park East and Viveknagar.
V Ravichander,an expert in the field said, CM’s deadline is to gauge BBMP’s functioning and its ability to respond in quick time but termed 15 day period to shut city’s potholes as ‘unscientific’.
With rains receding in the last few days the climate is ideal to complete the work, said Ravichander and added ‘quality should be the criteria for assessment’.
The truth will be out by this evening but the BBMP appears to have taken CM’s deadline very seriously with bright shining sun coming to its aid.
