Karnataka High Court took the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to task in connection with the pothole menace in Bengaluru on Thursday. The court has categorically stated that the BBMP has failed to adhere to the orders given by the court in this regard. The division bench headed by the Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale expressed its displeasure while looking into the petitions filed by Vijay Menon and others regarding pothole menace.
The counsel for petitioners argued that the number of deaths is increasing in Bengaluru due to pothole ridden roads and the BBMP has not utilised the appropriate technology to fill up potholes. The bench opined that the BBMP has totally failed in terms of closing of potholes. The court also directed the officers to submit a detailed report on what action has been initiated and on how many potholes have been filled. The counsel appearing for BBMP intervened and submitted a detailed action taken report on filling up of potholes in Bengaluru. The counsel had also sought time to argue over the matter. The court agreed to give a hearing and adjourned the matter to November 2.
Earlier on September 19, a division bench of Acting Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice S Vishwajith Shetty had given the BBMP a deadline of 10 days to fix or fill up the 221 potholes on major roads that were identified by the civic body. The bench was hearing a 2015 petition filed by the same petitioner, Vijay Menon, who sought action to fill up potholes on major and arterial roads and remove encroachments to stormwater drains. The bench ordered the BBMP to submit a compliance report about the filling up of the potholes, along with photographs, before the next hearing. “BBMP is a statutory body and is under an obligation to maintain and repair the roads. The citizens have a right to have roads without potholes which creates a corresponding obligation on the authorities to maintain the roads and make it pothole free,” the bench observed.