Work still to gain speed

BBMP still to sign pact with agency to remove speed breakers

On Thursday, the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) was still grappling with the reply to Lokayukta notice, despite being empowered by the Commissioner to proceed with action to remove road humps.

Since July this year, the BBMP has been unable to remove even a single road hump, of the 298 speed breakers identified to be illegal or unscientific on the arterial and sub-arterial roads in Bangalore. 

“I only have the authority to recommend to the Government, but lack the enforcing powers,” said Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde. While Hegde did say that an immediate followup will be made on the issue with the Palike, it is learnt that the Additional Commissioner (Traffic) Praveen Sood sent repeated reminders to BBMP over the past two months. “It is now up to the civic authority to proceed further,” said Sood. According to the AddlCP, a list of 398 road humps was sent by the police to the Palike and the BBMP has agreed to rebuild only 298 road humps in a scientific manner. This apart, the Traffic Police had requested skywalks to be constructed by the BBMP under its zonal jurisdiction.

The BBMP in its defence has stated that the estimation towards the removal of road humps have been made and approved by the Commissioner, Bharath Lal Meena. “We have been instructed to take the help of the Karnataka Land Army Corporation (KLAC) to remove and re-lay the road humps according to Indian Road Congress rules,” informed a BBMP official. The work is expected to begin as soon as the Palike signs an agreement with the KLAC for the commissioning of works. “It will take a maximum of 30 days for the works to be completed from the date of commissioning,” said the official.

Meanwhile, the responsibility of identifying and constructing the speed breakers on interior roads have been entrusted to the BBMP Zonal Commissioners. “Zonal chiefs have been asked to submit a detailed report and estimate to the Head office and it will be their responsibility to construct them and/or raze them wherever required,” informed the official.