There are only 742 potholes on city roads and these will be filled within two days, claimed B.H. Anil Kumar, Commissioner of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).
Speaking to presspersons here on Monday, the Commissioner claimed that since October 1 to November 11, the BBMP engineers had identified 10,656 potholes. “Despite unexpected heavy rains, there are very few potholes remaining to be filled,” he said.
The civic body claimed to have filled 9,914 potholes so far, leaving 742 to be filled. Of these, the maximum number of potholes were in West (201) and Bommanahalli (138) zones.
Admitting that filling potholes was a continuous activity, he said the civic body still had to identify contractors of roads that were not maintained properly despite being under the defect liability period (DLP).
He said officials have been directed to identify such contractors and notices will be issued to them soon.
The civic body, he added, had also suspended four engineers, including an executive engineer and assistant executive engineer, for failing to fill potholes.
Meanwhile, citizens criticised the BBMP’s claim on potholes. Several citizens took to social media to vent their ire on the poor condition of roads across the city.
Members of Doddanekundi Rising, a citizens’ group, claimed there were more than 1,000 poor road-stretches and damages around Mahadevapura.
Another citizen, Hemakumar, claimed there were more than 50 potholes on Kasavanahalli Main Road, while Trilochan Nath complained about the condition of Doddakanahalli-Gear School Road and Gunjur-Varthur Road.
About the Sumanahalli flyover where a portion of the road crumbled and collapsed, Mr. Anil Kumar said several tests have been conducted to check the structural stability.
The ultrasound tests revealed that the other portion of the bridge is also weak.
“The centering work has been taken up. The concreting work will be taken up in two days,” he said.
A portion of the barely nine-year-old flyover collapsed on the road below earlier this month, underscoring the city’s crumbling infrastructure.
One side of the flyover, from Nagarbhavi towards Dr. Rajkumar Samadhi, has been closed and traffic diverted. BBMP officials had stated that an unattended pothole gave way due to stagnant water because of rains and heavy vehicular movement.
