Minister Ramalinga Reddy's promise of pothole-free roads turns a farce

The November 1 deadline set by the authorities to rid the City of potholes has ended. But scores of potholes still dot many roads.

The State government and the civic agencies, in particular the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), had come under severe criticism in the aftermath of techie Stuti Pandey’s death in a road accident caused by a pothole on Devara Beesanahalli flyover in September this year.

The incident forced District In-Charge Minister Ramalinga Reddy and the BBMP Commissioner to announce at a press conference that the City would be free of potholes by November 1. However, the many pothole-riddled roads make the announcement a farce.

The sparsely visible asphalt on the potholed road connecting Kadirenahalli with Padmanabhanagar near Gowdanapalya in Bengaluru South challenges the riding skills of any motorist. Known for its heavy vehicular movement, this road has become even more dangerous due to the crater-sized potholes.

Rame Gowda, a resident of Gowdanapalya, said there was hardly any effort made in the last three years to improve the road at this intersection.

“People had made many representations at various levels but to no avail. The road that leads to Kadirenahalli is in a pathetic state but no one is bothered to improve it,” said Gowda. The roads in Ulsoor, especially the prominent Bazaar Street and Car Street with numerous potholes, test the patience of motorists. Residents say the footpaths had given way and turned into garbage dumping zones.

Pedestrians have no choice but to walk on the road, full of potholes. Motorists have to ride cautiously on this busy street. To add to their woes, the entire road has been dug up for pipeline laying works without any patchwork done.

The road intersection near the General Post Office on the iconic Ambedkar Road, which houses the Vidhana Soudha and Vikas Soudha, is no exception to the Palike’s apathy. While there are potholes galore, the absence of streetlights make it even more dangerous. Sampige Road near Mantri Mall is another black spot in terms of bad roads.

Kasturba Road is another major road where motorists have to negotiate through the uneven manholes right in the middle of the road. On MG Road from Brigade Junction to Trinity Circle, potholes pose a threat to bikers. So is the stretch from Shanthinagar graveyard to Brigade Road.

Kanakapura Road and Banashankari Temple Circle too are notorious for their potholes. Stray cattle and canines, garbage heaps, missing pavements and potholes are the motorists’ nightmare. The condition of Avenue Road and the roads in the pete areas such as Chickpet, Mamulpet, Cottonpet, Balepet et al are frightening.

Roads in the areas newly added to the BBMP are in a wretched condition. Heavy vehicular movement – water tankers and trucks transporting construction materials – have caused immense damage to the roads. Optical Fibre Cables and the pipeline laying works too are contributing to the poor state of roads.

Engineer-in-Chief of the BBMP, M R Venkatesh, said the filling of potholes was in progress but due to the heavy downpour for the last two-three days, new potholes had surfaced.

“Instead of counting them, we are filling all the potholes,” he said. Another BBMP engineer said the biggest challenge was from the BWSSB, Bescom and telecom companies, which were not doing the patch-up job after digging the roads.