Bommai orders probe as newly-laid road caves in day after PM's visit

Bengaluru: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has instructed the BBMP Commissioner to conduct an inquiry into the caving in of a road, which was repaired for Prime Minister Modi's visit to Bengaluru on Monday.

The state government, which has been facing flak over the shoddy state of roads in Bengaluru, has been left red-faced over the incident.

The road near the B.R. Ambedkar School of Economics (BASE) was re-laid just a couple of days before Modi's visit to inaugurate the BASE campus. Bommai, who reached the national capital on Thursday, has instructed the BBMP Commissioner to conduct an inquiry into the shoddy work and take appropriate action against those responsible for it.

As part of the Rs 23 crore road repair works, the Jnanabharathi Main Road was asphalted at a cost of Rs 6 crore and Modi had travelled on this stretch on Monday. However, after a spell of overnight rain, this stretch of road caved in.

According to a preliminary inquiry, the road caved in due to leakage of a water pipe.

Rs 23 cr spent on asphalting roads ahead of PM's visit goes down the drain

A portion of the road caved in and there are signs of wearing off at other stretches

Bengaluru: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), which drew flak from the public for spending Rs 23 crore for the facelift of 14 km roads in Bengaluru ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit, has again found itself in an embarrassing position.

The asphalted roads are wearing out at many locations and in some parts the roads are even caving in, posing danger to the public. People of the surrounding areas of this stretch of roads, who were overjoyed over their fortune that their daily encounter with potholes was over, are now disappointed again.

The authorities have developed Kengeri to Kommaghatta (7 km), Mysuru Road (0.15 km), a stretch after Hebbal flyover (2.4 km), Tumakuru Road (0.90 km) and roads in Bengaluru University campus (3.6 km). The BBMP also repaired maidans, fixed street lights, painted roads and kerbs.

The work was done on a war footing amid rains. However, no sooner had Prime Minister Modi left the city, the public started complaining about resurfacing of potholes on these roads and, at some points, jelly stones too.

A stretch of road, asphalted as part of the Rs 23-crore road work, the Jnanabharathi Main Road was repaired at a cost of Rs 6 crore and Modi travelled on this stretch on Monday. After a spell of overnight rain, this stretch of road caved in.

BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath stated that at some points the asphalted road was damaged only due to heavy rainfall and it was not fair to say that the entire stretch of repaired road was damaged.

Ravindra P.N., the Special Commissioner (Projects) has stated that asphalting roads is part of protocol ahead of the PM's visit. The civic agency has so far fixed 14,500 potholes in the city. "Another 1,500 potholes will be fixed soon and rains are delaying the work," he maintained. The pathetic condition of the roads in the city have been a major concern among the vehicle riders in Bengaluru.

The issue has been raised by many prominent personalities, including Biocon Chief Kiran Majumdar-Shaw. The Karnataka High Court also warned the authorities on multiple occasions to fix the Bengaluru roads.