Bengaluru roads most hazardous in Karnataka, says CAG report

In a scathing indictment of affairs at the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report has found that BBMP roads are the most hazardous in the state.

Roads in the state capital had almost 20 hazards per kilometre, followed by state highways, Major District Roads and National Highways which had 8.87, 8.43 and 7.39 hazards per km, respectively, according to the performance audit on the functioning of the Karnataka State Road Safety Authority tabled in the
Assembly.

The hazards identified by the CAG include design faults and issues pertaining to signboards, speed breakers etc. In BBMP limits, 1,737 hazards were noticed in 90 km of road, recording on an average 19.36 hazards per km during a joint physical inspection (JPI).

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The report noted that lack of proper drainage was the principal cause of several deformities on the roads, including the creation of potholes and damaged pavements. The JPI in BBMP observed damaged pavements on 290 roads and drainage issues on 49 roads sampled.

Defective and hazardous medians were also a major concern on BBMP roads and National Highways. Among the four kinds of roads inspected, BBMP roads had the highest unauthorised openings along medians.

“Unauthorised median opening facilitates unexpected entry of pedestrians, animals and vehicles, thereby creating hazards,” the CAG said.

“From the database of road assets collected from the BBMP, it was noticed that out of a length of 1,400 km of arterial and sub-arterial roads in the city, footpaths were not provided for 43 per cent of the roads,” the report said.

Even the roads with footpaths had several issues, such as being occupied by shops, hotels and commercial establishments, parking of vehicles, dumping of garbage, narrow footpaths and installation of electrical transformers.

The audit has inspected 833 segments/stretches in BBMP limits, 3,298 on National Highways, 10,164 on state highways and 27,040 on major district roads.

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