What the hole!

Bangaloreans will have to bear bone-rattling rides on city’s potholed and cratered roads for some more time.

With the BBMP taking its own sweet time to fill up potholes, more than 10,000 of these urban monstrosities still survive, posing a grave threat to users, especially two-wheeler riders.

AH Basavaraj, chairman, standing committee on ward-level works, says they have identified 42,204 potholes in eight zones. Efforts are being made to fill up 32,342 potholes, which leaves 10,000 craters unattended.

“We are making all-out efforts to fill the remaining potholes as early as possible,’’ said Basavaraj.
While Bangalore East leads the list with 9,995 potholes, Dasarahalli zone stands last with only 1,004 potholes.

Palike commissioner Lakshminarayana told dna that all efforts were being made to rid roads of potholes. “We will fill the remaining potholes as early as possible,’’ he said.

Sources said the BBMP’s financial woes were hampering its efforts to fill up potholes. “The BMBP is finding it difficult even to provide medical relief for people from economically weaker sections. I don’t know how the mayor or commissioner will find funds to repair the roads,’’ said a BBMP engineer on condition of anonymity.

The civic body comes off as utterly insensitive to the plight of city’s motorists. A case in point are the potholes peppering Ulsoor Road.

On a visit to Ulsoor Road on Oct 25, transport minister Ramalinga Reddy, BBMP Mayor BS Satyanarayana and other officials found the road water-logged as a pipeline had burst near Subramanya Swamy temple.

The minister directed the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) officials to plug the leakage and repair the road immediately. The BWSSB plugged the leak, but no effort was made to fill up the potholes even after a month.

“We expected the craters would be filled when Ramalinga Reddy visited this place. But the potholes between Ulsoor Metro station and the storm-water drain continue to terrify road users,’’ said Sudarshan Naidu, a resident of Ulsoor.

And this stands true for much of the city. Most of the roads in the city remain unusable, not only because of the wear and tear, but also because official agencies have not repaired roads that they were dug up for various civic works like laying underground cables and pipes.

For instance, take the entrance of GM Palya behind BEML, where traffic jams have become a daily feature during peak hours. BWSSB authorities dug up the road to replace underground pipes, but forgot to redo it.

On Rhenius Street, near Baldwin Girls School, the top surface has peeled off and the road is more of dirt bike race track, uneven and strewn with stones and gravel. The BWSSB dug up the road to lay UGD pipes, but the BBMP has yet to re-asphalt it.