JOIN USMinister gives Palike officials an earful on poor quality roads
The officials of Road Infrastructure division of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on Tuesday got an earful from Bengaluru Development Minister K J George during the latter’s visit to Yelahanka, Allalasandra and Vidyaranyapura and surrounding areas to review the condition of the roads.
During his first stop, as part of City tour, at Allalasandra, the minister noticed that the tar laid on the Railway Overbridge (ROB) there had washed away due to the substandard quality. The ROB was built jointly by the BBMP and the Indian Railways at a cost of Rs 39 crore. The work was executed by the Indian Railways. Palike’s share in the project was Rs 26 crore and the rest was borne by the Railways. The minister suggested the BBMP officials to pursue the matter with the Railways and ensure that good quality asphalting is done.
At Yelahanka 16 B Main Road, about 200 metres of tar had washed away in the recent rain. The 1.83-km road was laid by the Road Infrastructure division of the Palike in 2013-14. The minister found that the road work was taken up without de-silting the side drain and developing it properly. As a result, rainwater spilled onto the road and thereby causing damage to the newly-laid road.
He instructed the officers that henceforth, roadside drains must be de-silted before taking up the work.
Reacting to the poorly-laid road, George told the engineers, “Roads are laid every year but why do they get damaged in such a short span of time. Prepare a calendar of events where you specify when the desilting work should be done and when the asphalt to be laid. This should be to minimise rain-related damage to the road.”
George instructed the engineers to check the credibility of the contractors before awarding them the works. He instructed the officials concerned to blacklist that the contractors if they are found doing a shoddy job. The minister was also critical of the pothole-filling work as he felt that these were temporary measures whereas the focus should be on good quality of road work. He also emphasised on maintaining the road history to avoid duplication of works and proper maintenance of civil works.
At Challaghatta, the residents complained the minister about the narrow road causing regular traffic snarls. The minister suggested the residents not to allow parking on the either side of the road.