Raja Rajeswari (RR) Nagar has the highest number of reported potholes among the BBMP zones.
According to data by the Traffic Management Centre, accidents in the RR Nagar zone have increased. There were 107 and 121 accidents in 2021 and 2022, respectively. From January to July 2023, the number of accidents reported were 129
Nandish, Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI), Kengeri, agreed that potholes cause accidents. In October, six accidents in the RR Nagar area took place due to potholes, three of which were fatal, he said. The ASI said that most accidents happen near potholes on the road, as they become a blind spot for riders at night.
According to the statistics released by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in 2021 Bangalore had 31 deaths due to pothole related accidents which was the highest among metropolitan cities.
Bengaluru currently has 11,366 potholes according to Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) data. RR Nagar alone has 854 potholes, which is the highest in any constituency.
N Vijay Kumar, Chief Engineer of RR Nagar zone in BBMP said, “We are aware of the problem and most potholes will be fixed by the end of the year. Every year after monsoon this problem arises but is usually fixed by December.”
Ramesh Kumar, a resident near the Kengeri satellite town and a daily commuter in the area said, “After every rain the roads are a mess and it is very difficult to travel safely and easily on them. If you are on a two-wheeler it becomes very dangerous to travel at night as one can’t figure out a pothole easily in the dark, which may lead to an accident.”
BBMP has spent around Rs 7,000 crore in the last seven years on roads under the Amruta Nagarottana scheme. This year BBMP has proposed to spend Rs 15 lakhs for each ward, lower than the previous year’s budget of Rs 20 lakhs.
Vikram Bhat, an urban planner said that the problem of potholes mainly arises due to usage of substandard material. He said “When sub-standard material is used in the construction of roads, the upper layer is very easily washed off during the rainy season. In the central areas of the city, people usually voice their concerns and their concerns are heard. In the outskirts, people’s problems are not heard very effectively.”
He said that the contractor has to be held responsible for the potholes.. BBMP is too lenient with contractors, he said. The BBMP should follow the principles of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in road construction. Or else they should look for alternatives like white topping which will give longer life span to the roads. “Spending money on the same projects over and over again without any progress is useless,” he added.
The previous Karnataka government constituted a committee to examine the cost-intensive white-topping project in 2019.
