The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Bangalore roads have fewer potholes: BMP engineers

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Oct 15, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Bangalore roads have fewer potholes: BMP engineers

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, OCT. 14. The Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) engineers have said that the city's roads have fewer potholes compared with the roads elsewhere.

At a BMP council meeting here on Thursday, members wanted to know what the civic body planned to do about the condition of the roads. Bangalore's image, they felt, was being tarnished when newspapers printed pictures of potholed roads.

But the BMP Engineer-in-Chief, Ramegowda, blamed this year's heavy rain for the potholes.

"We identified and filled up 15,400 potholes in September. But 5,000 more were created following the rain; we are repairing those now," he said.

And, compared to other cities, Bangalore was a ``low pothole density'' area. "It has fewer than five potholes per km," he said.

According to him, roads are graded as ``medium density'' if they contain between five and 10 potholes per km and as ``high density'' if they have more than 10 potholes per km. The situation, he said, was "under control".

Besides, from November 1 the civic body would outsource the repair and maintenance of roads and filling up of potholes. The Mayor, P.R. Ramesh, too said the roads would be improved in November.

Rating

Mr. Ramegowda said the BMP was, for the first time in India, embarking on "rating its roads and developing a pavement condition index." The task had been entrusted to Bangalore University.

Storm water drains

About the status of the project to remodel storm water drains, including those at the Koramangala and Chellaghatta, Hebbal and Vrishabhavathi valleys and near the Gali Anjaneya Temple, Mr. Ramegowda said the project involved calling for technical and financial bids.

"Stup Consultants will, on October 20, make a technical presentation in the BMP office on the Rs. 103-crore project for Vrishabhavathi Valley and the Rs. 95-crore project for Hebbal Valley," he said. The project, actually planned two years ago, will involve strengthening the retaining walls, restructuring, deepening and widening the drains.

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