Panel submits preliminary report on potholes to HC

The two-member commission set up by the high court to inspect BBMP's pothole-filling work, submitted its preliminary report to the court on Tuesday. The inspection was carried out in Yelahanka on Monday evening.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari was hearing a PIL petition filed in 2015 by Vijayan Menon and three others highlighting the pathetic condition of roads in and around the city and particularly the menace of potholes and ditches.

The court orally observed that the problem of potholes is getting multiplied every passing day. "The first aid work of repairing the potholes had to be done earlier. This has become a menace to the public at large," the court said.

The commission comprising Dinesh Agarwal, superintending engineer, CWE (Army) and Karnataka State Legal Services Authority member secretary M G Uma stated that it will inspect roads in Mahalakshmi Layout on Tuesday. The court asked the commission to inspect various areas and submit a second preliminary report on Thursday.

The court added that it wanted immediate reports on a daily basis from different areas of the city.

The court also directed making BWSSB a party to the case as its pipeline and road cutting work was also causing ditches on the roads.

The commission submitted to the court that basic technical specifications were not followed by BBMP while filling potholes. To this, the court orally observed, "You take the services of experts yet you are not able to follow the technical specifications."

The court also directed the chief engineer, BBMP, to submit his specific response to the preliminary report submitted by the commission.