<p>Bengaluru: Just as <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/bengaluru">Bengaluru</a>'s traffic crawls, so do the projects meant to ease the commute.</p>.<p>Nearly two years after approving Rs 2,600-crore worth of works such as white-topping, asphalting, and development of high-density corridors (HDC), progress has barely scratched the surface.</p>.<p>When the now-dissolved Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) was under fire for broken roads two years ago, it identified 600 km of critical stretches for development.</p>.<p>The civic body opened a separate bank account to clear contractor payments on time and ensure faster completion.</p>.<p>Despite providing funds, projects remain far from complete two monsoons later.</p>.<p>Official records show the government finalised selecting construction firms for the Rs 1,700-crore white-topping project in April 2024.</p>.'Every city has potholes, why is Bengaluru only targeted': D K Shivakumar says.<p>In November 2024, the government completed formalities to implement a Rs 694-crore project for asphalting 390 km of roads.</p>.<p>The development of 109-km of high-density corridors costing Rs 273 crore was approved in December 2023.</p>.<p>An additional Rs 89.3 crore was allocated for maintenance.</p>.<p>Regarding physical progress, the BBMP completed only 21.6 km (about 30 per cent) of the 143.68 km under white-topping.</p>.<p>The asphalting project covered just 20 km against the 390-km target, while the HDC project achieved less than 30 per cent progress.</p>.<p>A senior GBA official cited difficulties in inter-agency coordination as a key obstacle.</p>.<p>"The HDC project suffered delays because it depended on Namma Metro and BWSSB works. On Bannerghatta Road, we had to wait for pipeline work. On the Hebbal-Nagawara stretch, metro construction blocked progress. White-topping projects also require traffic police clearance, which is not easy to secure," he said.</p>.Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah sets one month deadline to fix potholes in Bengaluru.<p>He admitted asphalting work should have been undertaken during the summer, but the window was missed, pushing schedules into monsoon, which further delayed work.</p>.<p>At a review meeting on Saturday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah reportedly refused additional grants to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), citing pending works and mounting unpaid bills.</p>.<p><strong>'Lack of focus & fear of losing the job'</strong></p>.<p>Urban expert RK Mishra has expressed disappointment.</p>.<p>"These projects were primarily picked because of the problems citizens faced during past rainy seasons. Yet, engineers have shown no urgency to complete the work. It shows there is a lack of focus and fear of losing the job," he said, adding East Bengaluru would not have suffered as much as it has now had the Rs 694-crore asphalting project been complete.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: Just as <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/bengaluru">Bengaluru</a>'s traffic crawls, so do the projects meant to ease the commute.</p>.<p>Nearly two years after approving Rs 2,600-crore worth of works such as white-topping, asphalting, and development of high-density corridors (HDC), progress has barely scratched the surface.</p>.<p>When the now-dissolved Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) was under fire for broken roads two years ago, it identified 600 km of critical stretches for development.</p>.<p>The civic body opened a separate bank account to clear contractor payments on time and ensure faster completion.</p>.<p>Despite providing funds, projects remain far from complete two monsoons later.</p>.<p>Official records show the government finalised selecting construction firms for the Rs 1,700-crore white-topping project in April 2024.</p>.'Every city has potholes, why is Bengaluru only targeted': D K Shivakumar says.<p>In November 2024, the government completed formalities to implement a Rs 694-crore project for asphalting 390 km of roads.</p>.<p>The development of 109-km of high-density corridors costing Rs 273 crore was approved in December 2023.</p>.<p>An additional Rs 89.3 crore was allocated for maintenance.</p>.<p>Regarding physical progress, the BBMP completed only 21.6 km (about 30 per cent) of the 143.68 km under white-topping.</p>.<p>The asphalting project covered just 20 km against the 390-km target, while the HDC project achieved less than 30 per cent progress.</p>.<p>A senior GBA official cited difficulties in inter-agency coordination as a key obstacle.</p>.<p>"The HDC project suffered delays because it depended on Namma Metro and BWSSB works. On Bannerghatta Road, we had to wait for pipeline work. On the Hebbal-Nagawara stretch, metro construction blocked progress. White-topping projects also require traffic police clearance, which is not easy to secure," he said.</p>.Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah sets one month deadline to fix potholes in Bengaluru.<p>He admitted asphalting work should have been undertaken during the summer, but the window was missed, pushing schedules into monsoon, which further delayed work.</p>.<p>At a review meeting on Saturday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah reportedly refused additional grants to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), citing pending works and mounting unpaid bills.</p>.<p><strong>'Lack of focus & fear of losing the job'</strong></p>.<p>Urban expert RK Mishra has expressed disappointment.</p>.<p>"These projects were primarily picked because of the problems citizens faced during past rainy seasons. Yet, engineers have shown no urgency to complete the work. It shows there is a lack of focus and fear of losing the job," he said, adding East Bengaluru would not have suffered as much as it has now had the Rs 694-crore asphalting project been complete.</p>