Big civic spend, same dusty roads and choked drains in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: On paper, all five newly carved corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Area (GBA) have earmarked a total of Rs 741 crore for the upkeep of civic amenities, which is central to the functioning of any municipal corporation. The allocations, made under annual maintenance contracts (AMC), cover works such as pothole filling, road maintenance, footpath repair and desilting of storm water drains, among others.

But on the ground, Bengaluru’s infrastructure tells a different story.

Several arterial roads and flyovers continue to remain coated in a thick layer of dust despite dedicated maintenance budgets, while storm water drains in many parts of the city remain clogged with silt, garbage and overgrown vegetation. The condition has worsened, especially after the recent rains.

For desilting primary storm water drains (SWDs) alone, the corporations together spend nearly Rs 60 crore annually, which is more than double what was spent in the past.

Residents across localities, however, say periodic desilting and road-cleaning works mandated under AMC contracts are either irregular or absent altogether. Along the stretches of Vrishabhavathi, Hebbal and Koramangala Valley, uncleared drains continue to raise flooding concerns ahead of the monsoon.

For instance, the rajakaluve at Ulsoor has not been desilted for at least six months. Apart from accumulated silt and garbage, thick vegetation has taken over sections of the drain. A similar situation persists at Geddalahalli near Sai Layout, where the drain has not been fully cleaned for nearly a year despite repeated visits by officials. Even as expansion of the railway vent is underway, the drain remains choked with silt and weeds.

Similarly, commuters point to dusty flyovers and underpasses along Outer Ring Road, Lingarajapuram, in front of the CBI office on Ballari Road and poorly maintained arterial roads, alleging that routine sweeping, debris clearance and footpath upkeep are rarely visible on the ground.

Service benchmark

According to sources familiar with the AMC system, contractors are expected to desilt drains once every three to four months, meaning machinery should ideally return to the same location at least four times a year. Residents, however, allege that such periodic maintenance rarely takes place.

Insiders in the civic administration attributed the poor quality of upkeep to changes in the performance benchmarks linked to contractor payments.

“Earlier, payments were based on the quantity of silt and waste removed from drains. Now, bills are cleared based on service-level benchmarks. Contractors can show drone footage to claim work completion even if the cleaning on the ground is inadequate,” a source said, adding that there is no stress on removing the silt and vegetation.

The same benchmark-based system is understood to be in place for arterial and sub-arterial road maintenance as well.

Ashok Mruthyunjaya, a member of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), alleged that despite large allocations, little visible work was taking place on roads and drains in areas such as Gear School Road, Sarjapur Road, Kasavanahalli and Doddakannelli. “Even when I sought information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, queries have not been answered correctly,” he said.

A senior corporation engineer said delays in approvals often push projects into the following financial year. “Typically, budgets are approved and council resolutions are passed around May. Tendering and estimate approvals may take until October and works begin by December. In some cases, delays occur due to pending approvals from MLAs, causing overlap with the next year’s maintenance cycle,” the official said.

M Maheshwar Rao, chief commissioner of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), said the corporations, with five commissioners at the helm, are able to monitor the work much better than in the past.

“For maintenance of rajakaluves, we have engaged fresh contractors. In places such as Gali Anjaneya Temple, Sumanahalli Junction and Silk Board, which face perennial flooding, cleaning works are being undertaken regularly,” he said.

He added that drones were being used to verify whether works had actually been carried out on the ground.

Shivkumar N, a resident of Domlur, said incomplete and poorly monitored civic works were causing hardship to residents. “Roads are dug up, desilting is incomplete and mud is left behind. Officials rarely visit the spot,” he said.

L Jeevan, joint secretary of Karnataka Rashtra Samithi, pointed to a shortage of engineers to monitor works at the ward level. “Contractors are least worried about delivering quality work,” he said, adding that local body elections should be conducted at the earliest.