TimesView Riddled with potholes and unscientifically constructed manholes, bad roads are the bane of Bengaluru. No sooner are the stretches repaired than they’re dug up by another agency, which not only belies logic but also smacks of poor coordination between civic authorities. While measures like whitetopping have proved beneficial in the long run — notwithstanding the initial hardship caused to commuters — much more needs to be done to give city roads a slick makeover and increase their longevity. Agencies should stop working in silos and act before monsoon makes matters worse, compounding taxpayers’ woes.

Where’s the hot mix plant to fix potholes?

BENGALURU: More than a third of Bengaluru roads are not motorable. As per the latest Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) data accessed by TOI, 30,240 roads spanning 4,571.9km are either worn out or have been dug up by Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and other utilities. The city is home to 83,434 roads extending across 13,215.5km.Presented with this data at an inter-departmental coordination committee meeting last week, chief secretary TM Vijay Bhaskar was livid at BBMP and BWSSB engineers over the road conditions. “The main problem with us (officials) is that we travel in government cars. While driving my own car, I noticed manhole covers were not at grade with the road surface, while bad reaches were not attended to. Engineers from all departments should drive their own cars to realise the state of affairs,” sources privy to the meeting quoted Bhaskar as saying.While Mahadevapura zone, a tech hub, has the worst roads, west zone, that includes areas like Malleswaram, Rajajinagar, Nandini Layout and Basaveshwaranagar, has the least number of stretches needing repair. Officials blamed ongoing work for laying of Cauvery pipelines or upgrading the sewage network for the sorry state of roads in Mahadevapura, said sources.Bhaskar reportedly asked officials about the status of Sahaya mobile application, which can be used to raise complaints on roads/potholes. He sought to know whether people were using the app.BBMP commissioner N Manjunatha Prasad, who attended the meeting, is said to have told the chief secretary the app received around 50,628 complaints from January 1 till June 30 this year. “Of the 25,793 complaints pertaining to potholes , about 16,000 have been addressed in the past six months,” Prasad was quoted as saying.BBMP’s engineer-in-chief MR Venkatesh said the agency has identified horizontal cuttings on roads to put in place amenities like pipelines. The official said 4,364 roads have been cut horizontally, adding they would be repaired immediately.Bhaskar expressed displeasure over failure of BBMP engineers to set up a hot mix plant, which could be used to fill potholes. S Somashekhar, chief engineer (road infrastructure), said as the successful bidder wasn’t coming forward to execute the agreement, the Palike had warned him of cancelling the tender process.The chief secretary also asked officials how they would handle the pothole menace during monsoon. Venkatesh said the existing contractors will be asked to continue till the hot mix plant is functional. As most roads are still under the defunct liability period, contractors who have laid them will be asked to fix potholes.