The rush to meet the November 10 deadline that Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) set for itself to make the city pothole-free has triggered traffic snarls along major roads in the city, Deccan Herald reported.

In response to compliants of pothole-ridden roads pouring in from various parts of city, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) set November 10 as the deadline to make the city pothole-free.

To ensure that the BBMP adheres to its November 10 deadline of fixing potholes, civic body commissioner BH Anil Kumar and mayor N Goutham Kumar have been conducting surprise spot inspections of city roads since last week.

The Mayor also said that if the potholes are not filled by November 10, then the engineer concerned will be suspended and the contractor black listed.

According to an estimate by BBMP, 3649 potholes need to be filled as 3,649. Mahadevapura tops the list with 1,123 potholes. The BBMP is deploying the two Python machines it purchased recently to fill the potholes. The machines fill 150 holes a day.

The frenetic pace at which potholes are being plugged has however caused traffic snarls in several parts of Bengaluru. Several commuters have complained that the slow-moving Python machines are congesting the roads. BBMP commissioner B H Anil Kumar however said that while the Python machines take time, they fill potholes scientifically and accurately with its hot mix mechanism.

The commissioner had earlier warned that shoddy jobs like not using bitumen and tar to fill potholes will not be tolerated. “There is Rs 50 crore in escrow account and Rs 20-30 lakh for every ward. There is no shortage of funds to fill potholes. There is also a three-year defect liability period and each contractor they have to ensure that there are no potholes during this time,” he said.

B.H Anilkumar

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