Days after the Bengaluru civic body Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) announced that it had spent Rs 23 crore to repair roads for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Bengaluru, the newly renovated roads are already showing signs of ruin, merely three days after the PM's visit.
Visuals from the asphalted Jnanabharathi main road show it wearing off like paint.
The road has also caved in slightly, as per TV9 Kannada, which has led to a small dent. To avoid mishaps, the authorities placed a plant in the middle of the road to caution pedestrians and commuters, The News Minute reported.
Approximately Rs 6 crore were spent on asphalting the road ahead of the prime minister's visit on 20 June.
However, the road has caved in owing to overnight rainfall.
'Developed Roads Spanning 14 km, Spent Rs 23 Crore'
BBMP Special Commissioner (Projects) Ravindra PN had told the press ahead of PM Modi's visit that they had fixed several stretches, like Kengeri to Kommaghatta, Mysuru Road, Tumakuru Road, and roads in Bengaluru University campus and after the Hebbal flyover.
"The programme for honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit was fixed 15 days ago, so it was important to properly maintain the roads that he would traverse. For this, we developed roads of the length of 14 km and spent Rs 23 crore. We used the funds under the discretionary use of the Chief Commissioner for the work," Ravindra had said.
The BBMP further stated that it had repaired street lights and painted roads, apart from mending maidans.
BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath accepted that the roads had withered, saying that the reason behind it was heavy rainfall.
He added, however, that it was not fair to claim that the whole stretch of the asphalted road had been damaged.
The inadequate roadwork and potholed stretches are not a new phenomena in Karnataka. The state's high court has, on several occasions, reprimanded the government and the BBMP in connection with this matter.
BBMP Issues Notice to 3 Engineers Over 'Substandard' Work
Meanwhile, the BBMP issued a show cause notice to three engineers belonging to the RR Nagar Division, citing "substandard" work on the Mariyappanapalya main road in the campus of Bangalore University, news agency ANI reported.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai also said that a probe will be launched to look into the matter.
(With inputs from The News Minute and ANI.)
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