BENGALURU: Thanks to lack of coordination between civic agencies, when a road is relaid, it’s dug up within no time. For instance, soon after BBMP finishes road works, BWSSB digs them up.
After chief minister Basavaraj Bommai expressed concern over the deplorable condition of roads despite spending Rs 20,000 crore over the past five years, the two civic agencies are busy in a blame-game.
BBMP officials said the biggest challenges have been restoring 2,500 kilometres of road in outlying areas damaged by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board and the inordinate delay in completing road works within the central business district under Smart City project. BWSSB officials claimed there is a consistent misrepresentation of facts by the Palike.
“In 2018, when the government finally decided to provide underground drainage and drinking water to 110 villages added to BBMP jurisdiction, BWSSB was asked to do it. It was decided that the board will lay pipelines and BBMP the roads. Now, we’re being blamed for the bad roads,” said BWSSB chairman N Jayaram.
He said BWSSB paid Rs 86 crore to BBMP for levelling roads even though that’s not its responsibility.
“Subsequently, in early 2021, Rs 1,000 crore more was allocated to the Palike to repair roads damaged during laying of pipelines,” he added.
As per data provided by the CM in the legislative council last week, the government has allocated only Rs 485 crore for fiscal 2021-22.
Bengaluru Smart City project managing director Rajendra P Cholan said the Special Purpose Vehicle has upgraded 22 of 32 roads and that too, only for 29 kilometres.
“As it’s within the CBD, we’re getting brickbats. Asphalting is pending on 10 roads due to rain. We’ll do it by this year-end,” he added.
BBMP chief commissioner Gaurav Gupta said the Palike is taking up road infrastructure projects sanctioned in the last fiscal and completing them.
Both the Palike and BWSSB said there is a coordination committee chaired by the chief secretary, but most issues of lack of coordination appear to be misrepresented.
