Bengaluru civic body spent ₹6 Cr on road for PM's visit. Cave-in the next day

After a freshly laid road caved merely days after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Bengaluru, the city's local administrative body, the BBMP issued a show-cause notice to engineers over "sub-standard" asphalting on Thursday.

Updated on: Jun 24, 2022, 17:13:13 IST

By Yamini C S | Edited by Chandrashekar Srinivasan

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The Bengaluru civic body has issued a show-cause notice to three engineers responsible for the asphalting of the Mariyappanapalya Main Road in the Bengaluru University campus that was re-laid at a cost of ₹6 crore for prime minister Narendra Modi's visit on Monday. The road caved-in on Tuesday. Visuals showed a massive hole at one place and photographs shared by the Karnataka unit of the Congress showed pieces of the asphalt 'peeling off'.

The road that was recently repaired for PM Modi's visit near Dr B R Ambedkar School of Economics (BASE) University in Bengaluru. (ANI Image)

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has issued a notice to engineers tasked with overseeing the asphalting work on the road, which has been labelled 'sub-standard'.

According to news agency ANI all three belong to the RR Nagar Division.

The road was part of the prime minister's convoy's route Monday as he travelled to inaugurate the Dr BR Ambedkar School of Economics (BASE) campus.

Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai has ordered BBMP chief commissioner IAS officer Tushar Giri Nath to conduct a probe and take steps against those responsible for the lapse.

Also Read: K'taka CM Bommai orders probe as newly-laid road caves in days after PM’s visit

"By observation of visuals, it is felt there is no Standard Operation Procedure followed in the execution of the above-said work. Therefore, show cause notice is hereby issued calling upon your explanation about the said issue along with the test reports and also why action should not be initiated for failing to execute the work as per Standard Operation Procedure and also failing to discharge your duties as Executive Engineer on site," the BBMP notice said.

The Karnataka high court has also weighed in, sarcastically asked civic agencies if they only planned to do their job when presidents or prime ministers visit, PTI reported.

The BBMP spent ₹23 crore to repair roads in the city for the prime minister's visit.

The court was hearing a contempt petition filed against the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) seeking restoration of water and sewerage lines to two sites in Visvesvaraya Layout.

PTI quoted the court as saying: "Maybe the condition of roads will improve if the PM and president visit Bengaluru often. Last week you spent ₹23 crore to fill potholes. The PM has to travel on different roads each time for you to do your duty?"

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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