BENGALURU: The poor road quality work by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has resulted in potholes, which are a major reason for accidents. The potholes that were filled with asphalt not more than 20 days ago have again been washed away in the rain.
The city’s main roads like Sankey Tank Road, Kamakshipalya and Basaveshwara Nagar, which see heavy vehicle movement, are dotted with potholes which causes accidents. The authorities have put up barricades and have not take any action to fix the roads.
“The road is damaged due to the rain, and people fall off two-wheelers while avoiding the potholes. It is dangerous to travel on these roads. Even the electricity poles are not maintained well, which can cause accidents,” said Rajanna, a resident of Kamkshipalya.
“Due to rain, our work has stopped, and it is challenging to cover potholes with the bitumen surface. We are covering potholes with wet mix in some places and sand and stones in other places, “said Tushar Girinath, BBMP Chief Commissioner.
Hundreds of people have died in road accidents in the city in the last five years. About 17% of accidents and deaths are due to poor roads and potholes. Last year, 621 accidents occurred in which 656 people died. Of this, 10 people died due to potholes on the road. In the last three years, on an average, 17% of road accidents occurred due to potholes, and on an average, around 30 people die in road accidents every year.
On August 11, Jeevan (10), son of police head constable Santosh, was killed in a accident due to bad roads at KR Puram. On March 12, Ashwin (27) fell into a pothole dug by the water supply board and was injured. Later, he died without responding to the treatment at MS Palya near Muneshwara Layout. Sharmila, a teacher, died in a pothole accident near Byadarahalli Main Road.
On Monday morning, Umadevi and her daughter Vanitha were travelling from Srinagara to Gayathrinagar in the city. They lost balance while avoiding potholes on the road near Sujatha Talkies in Rajajinagar when a KSRTC bus travelling towards Shivamogga hit them.
Umadevi was seriously injured and has been admitted to a hospital. A case has been registered at Malleswaram traffic police station. The police have taken the KSRTC driver into custody and are conducting further investigation.