Roads dug up on B'luru's periphery to get asphalt soon

As the BBMP gears up for polls after one and a half years, Bengaluru’s outer areas may finally experience the smell of tar.

The state government has approved restoring 800 km of roads dug up for laying underground water and sanitary lines about two years ago. The work will cost Rs 852 crore. All the roads are from the 110 villages added to the city limits in 2007.

It’s learnt that Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has approved works pertaining to five assembly constituencies, all represented by ruling party MLAs. The constituencies that have received the most funds are Yeshwantpur (Rs 200 crore), KR Puram (Rs 190 crore), Bengaluru South (Rs 171 crore), Yelahanka (Rs 160 crore) and Mahadevapura (Rs 131 crore).

Proposals to sanction similar funds to Byatarayanapura and Dasarahalli consituencies, both in the city’s outer areas and represented by the Congress and the JD(S), respectively, have not been approved, it’s learnt. The government had earlier sanctioned Rs 17 crore for Byatarayanapura and Rs 18 crore for Dasarahalli.

Also read: After HC rap, BBMP wants to fill all potholes before next hearing

The Rs 852-crore project entails asphalting ward (or inner) roads damaged by BWSSB, fixing drains and building footpaths.

When he was at the helm, B S Yediyurappa had announced Rs 1,000 crore for asphalting 279 roads. For this, the BBMP prepared an action plan in October last year and completed the tendering. It’s now waiting for Bommai to approve the tenders because the funds will come from the state government.

Work to start in 10 days?

Once the chief minister gives the go-ahead, the roadworks could start in as early as 10 days. “The work will start immediately because the BBMP has already finalised the contractors. We hope to complete the work in the next few months,” said S R Vishwanath, MLA from Yelahanka. “This will bring relief to people who have been waiting for good repairs for a long time now.”

Dasarahalli MLA, R Manjunath, said the funds sanctioned for his constituency were “way too little”.

According to him, the BWSSB dug up about 158 km of road on both sides, restoring which was estimated to cost Rs 405 crore, as per the BBMP’s own plan. “The government has done injustice to the people of my constituency by allocating only Rs 25 crore,” he said.

Manjunath also bemoaned that the government had failed to provide decent infrastructure in Dasarasahalli, whose 6,500-odd industries contribute a lot of revenue to the exchequer.

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