CM sets 15-day deadline to fill potholes in Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Oct 9 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday set a 15-day deadline to city civic body to fill about 15,000 potholes across Bengaluru, battered by heavy rains during the monsoon season.

Facing flak over the worsening conditions of the city roads that claimed three lives in a week, a miffed Siddaramaiah pulled up officials of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) at a special meeting held after he inspected the accident spots.

"As the monsoon season has ended and rains are almost over, I have directed the BBMP to fill all the potholes in 15 days and asphalt the arterial roads by this month-end," he told reporters later.

Anguished over the death of a 47-year-old woman on Sunday when she fell from a scooter that skidded while her nephew was negotiating a gaping pothole and was run over by a lorry, the Chief Minister admitted that BBMP had no expertise or machinery to fill potholes during the rainy season.

"No one should die or be injured due to potholes anywhere. It's unfortunate that three persons, including two woman have lost their life owing to potholes and bad conditions of the roads in the city," he said.

An elderly couple were crushed to death on October 3 by an inter-state bus after they fell down from their scooter on a potholed-ridden flyover in the city market.

Bengaluru Development Minister K.J. George, BBMP Commissioner Manjunath Prasad and city Mayor Sampath Raj accompanied the Chief Minister for inspecting the battered roads and the deteriorating infrastructure across the city.

"Record rains this year have damaged several roads in the city, resulting in thousands of potholes and cracks on them. I have directed the mayor to make the city pothole-free and initiate measures to clean-up the city," reiterated Siddaramaiah.

"BBMP has handed over those roads where the metro project's second phase is being built across the city to the BMRCL for asphalting and maintaining them," he added.