November 10 is the deadline for the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to rid the city of potholes, and there are about 15,000 of them, according to the civic agency’s estimates.
Thanks to a Karnataka High Court order a while ago, the BBMP had fixed many potholes in HSR Layout, Indiranagar, Koramangala, Whitefield and other neighbourhoods of Bangalore. However, those very roads and a few others have developed craters again. Either the rains are too harsh or the work was sub-standard.
For reasons of transparency in public works, the BBMP also put up its report on potholes in the public domain. This was again due to the order of the High Court. However, if you view them today, you will realise that Bengaluru neighbourhoods are relatively pothole-free. Only certain roads are marked for ‘road resurfacing required’. The others are spotlessly clean, according to the civic officials. When we accessed this BBMP link again, that page had vanished into a pothole too. The pothole page did not exist anymore. It could be resuscitated anytime, so we have attached the link for you to check it later.
The rains played spoilsport again, and the roads have thrown up the ugly truth about BBMP contractors and the shoddy way they work. Then again, it’s the corrupt system. How can a road contractor win a tender at the lowest sum possible, and then remit a portion of it towards bribes to different people, and work with the remaining amount and still make a profit? That’s the crorepati question no one wants to answer. The last time, one political party tried to answer that is today confined to just one metro and trying to deal with the ‘world’s most polluted capital’ moniker.
And yes, if you have injured yourself due to a pothole, the Karnataka High Court has ruled that you can directly approach the BBMP for compensation.
So how can you help, dear reader? Just download the BBMP Sahaaya app and upload pictures of gaping potholes with the exact coordinates. In addition, WhatsApp us (+919880585748) as well. If they stand out from the rest, we will even dedicate a story on the ‘most potholed roads’ in your neighbourhood.
In addition, you can contact BBMP and the BBMP Commissioner BH Anil Kumar (Facebook & Twitter) in the following ways:
WhatsApp: +919480685700
Twitter
Website: http://bbmp.sahaaya.in
Landline number: 080-22660000
Email: contactusbbmp@gmail.com
