Unhappy with road repair, BBMP to review GAIL's licence

Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will review the pipeline-laying licence given to the GAIL Gas Limited. The company has laid pipelines in certain parts of the city such as HSR Layout and Peenya. The agency had taken the licence for about 900 km on the condition that it will restore the road.

Earlier, the Palike had fixed a rate of Rs 6,000 per running metre as road cutting charges. The GAIL officials objected to it saying the rates were quite high.

The gas company proposed to the government that it will take up the restoration work and sought only the pipeline-laying licence at Rs 1,200 per running metre.

However, the BBMP is not happy with GAIL’s road repair work. Hence, it has decided to restore the roads and ask GAIL to pay for it.

“The quality of restoration is not up to the mark. Eventually, we are ending up repairing the roads. It is a huge financial burden on us (BBMP). We are now demanding that the restoration of the roads be given to us,” said a Palike engineer, requesting anonymity.

Meanwhile, BBMP’s Taxation and Finance Committee chairman M K Gunashekar has also doubted the figures of the pipeline-laying work.

“We have no information as to how much of the road they have dug up so far. I am going to convene a meeting with the Palike and GAIL officials next week,” said Gunashekar. Attempts to reach the GAIL officials went in vain.