‘Start filling potholes immediately,’ High Court orders BBMP

The Karnataka High Court has ordered the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike (BBMP), to start filling potholes in the city immediately.

The fight against bad roads and lack of basic infrastructure in the Karnataka capital has taken a new turn, with the Karnataka High Court ordering Bengaluru's local administrative body, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike (BBMP), to start filling potholes immediately. This order has come after the BBMP issued a project circular (called Package-A) on April 20, 2022 for the repair of 182-kilometer long major roads in the city.

Karnataka HC orders BBMP to start filling potholes immediately.

This comes amid severe backlash faced by the BBMP by the local citizenry after multiple road deaths were recorded of late due to various reasons ranging from potholes, un-asphalted roads, water-filled underpasses, accidents caused by over-speeding BBMP garbage trucks and even waterlogging. This raised several questions about the BBMP's failure in preventing these mishaps and ensuring smooth administration.

To provide some relief at last, the potholes of the city will be filled using a machine called Python, which is operated by the American Road Technology and Solutions Pvt Ltd, the organisation undertaking the project.

A division bench headed by the Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi and Justice S R Krishna Kumar reportedly gave out the order, saying that the court is of the considered view that respondent 11 (the company, American Road Technology and Solutions Pvt Ltd) shall immediately start the work of repair of potholes as per the work order (Package-A) dated April 20, 2022 on the major roads.

However, reports said that the respondents called attention to the fact that the BBMP has quoted rates much below the Public Works Department’s (PWD) prescribed rate for pothole-filling using machines, which is said to be at around Rs. 1,249 per hour, and argued that the company is entitled for the PWD rates for the prescribed works undertaken by them.

According to reports, advocates representing the BBMP said that the PWD's prescribed rates would only apply in emergency circumstances and not when issuing a routine tender. Nevertheless, the HC further directed the BBMP Chief Commissioner, IAS Gaurav Gupta, to reconsider the rates fixed for the repair of said potholes.

Meanwhile, American Road Technology and Solutions reportedly also requested for an advance payment for them to start the prescribed works, to which the court asked BBMP chief Gaurav Gupta to consider the same and take appropriate action.

It was also directed in the HC's order that the decision of the Chief Commissioner, as well as report on progress of work, should be placed before the court on the next date of hearing, that is May 21, 2022.