Fact-check BBMP’s report on the condition of roads and footpaths

By Chandrima Mazumdar

The Karnataka State Legal Services Authority issued a notice dated January 18, 2021, asking people to share the status of the roads that need inspection. The concerned people can mail at: kar.hck9@gmail.com. According to the notice, the High Court of Karnataka had issued several directions addressing the Member Secretary, Karnataka State Legal Services Authority to ascertain the present conditions of the public roads and footpaths and submit its report to the court on or before February 5, 2021. Citizens can report bad roads and footpaths but also fact-check Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP) year-old report on 108 arterial and sub arterial roads. The report needs to be verified and disputed to ensure 100% compliance by the civic body. 

Status report 2020

The last report (download it here) regarding the condition of the roads was presented by BBMP on February 4, 2020. The civic body vouched for the pothole-free status of 74 arterial and sub-arterial roads. This was followed by a promise that the other roads cut by Gail gas and BWSSB would be completed within a month. The BBMP had also taken up 16 roads for development under various projects such as Tender Sure and Smart City works. The zones covered in the report were East, South, Yelahanka, Mahadevpura, West, RR Nagar, Dasarahalli and Bommanahalli. 

400 responses so far…

Following previous reports by the media, including us, the inspection committee has informed the PIL petitioners that they have received over 400 inputs on roads from citizens. “I am stunned!,” says Vijayan Menon, one of the petitioners. “But as in all cases, they want more. They need some specific roads to be inspected with a technical team from the list of BBMP-declared pothole free roads.” The court wants the residents to send their inputs with photos to the following email ID: kar.hck9@gmail.com. The same email id can be used for any other roads you want to highlight. “Please also mark me (menonvij@gmail.com), so that I can also collate for court purposes.”

Menon is looking forward to some systemic changes through this judicial exercise.