Bangalore's deteriorating infrastructure has once again made the news as the Karnataka High Court heard a 2015 lawsuit concerning the poor condition of Bangalore roads. Residents have long complained to officials about the numerous potholes that are death traps for drivers and the sewage pipes that backup into the roadways when it rains.
Similar uproar resulted from people having to travel through water that was knee-deep during the recent rainstorms in August. Prior to this, in June, a 14 km stretch of newly rebuilt roads in Bangalore by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) gave way due to heavy rains. With a budget of 23 crores, the roads were renovated, but they soon began to give way.
The High Court heard the case filed seven years ago and addressed the ongoing situation of the city's inadequate roadways in light of numerous similar recurrent occurrences casting doubt on the BBMP's efforts. The civic organisation was given ten days by the division bench of Justice S Vishwajith Shetty and Acting Chief Justice Alok Aradhe to completely patch over 200 potholes in the main routes.
The Karnataka High Court set a deadline for the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to repair the city's potholes on Monday, September 19, as Bengaluru's deteriorating infrastructure has come into spotlight over the past several weeks under the nonstop rain.
The BBMP's attorney informed the court that the civic organisation has been working to repair the road's potholes and that the number of potholes being repaired is posted daily. As of September 14, only 221 potholes remained in the city, according to statistics the lawyer presented in court. A total of 2,010 potholes had been filled.
Regarding the actions being done in relation to the roads, the attorney said that contracts had been issued for their resurfacing, and that the process would be finished by January 2023. Additionally, by March 31st, 2,500 kilometres of Bangalore's arterial roads would have a new surface.
Furthermore, the counsel was also questioned over the websites and grievance cells that track citizen complaints about potholes in the roads. The hearing came to a successful conclusion with the bench communicating that citizens have a right to have roads free of potholes and that the BBMP has a duty as a statutory body to maintain and repair those roads.