M. Maheshwar Rao, the Chief Commissioner of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), issued a stern directive on Thursday, urging officials from all five city corporations to rapidly address the city’s rampant pothole issue. His primary goal is to ensure significantly smoother and safer roads for Bengaluru’s daily commuters.
During a virtual assembly, Mr. Rao emphasized the critical need for efficient use of the ₹25 crore allocated to each corporation for these repairs. He instructed officials to provide comprehensive reports detailing the total road length, the number of potholes identified, the contractors assigned, projected costs, and the specific methods of execution.
Underscoring the importance of quality, Mr. Rao mandated that all potholes on major arterial roads, secondary sub-arterial routes, and local ward-level roads must be fixed starting Friday. Furthermore, he directed the corporations to acquire asphalt from the designated mixing plant strictly within a predetermined timeframe.
To streamline operations, a dedicated nodal officer from the North Corporation has been appointed to oversee and coordinate asphalt supply. Other corporations are required to submit their material requests promptly and ensure that contractors execute the repair work without delay.
Central City Corporation Commissioner Rajendra Cholan confirmed that nodal officers are already in place for road maintenance within his area. He stated, “A thorough plan has been developed. More than 30 teams are actively working, with each road assigned to a specific agency, and strict deadlines are in place to ensure the collective completion of all tasks.”
Later that day, Tushar Girinath, the Additional Chief Secretary of the Urban Development Department, led a joint inspection. Accompanied by various departmental officials, he scrutinized the Outer Ring Road section stretching from Silk Board Junction to Hebbal Junction.
In a bid to alleviate traffic congestion, Girinath issued directives for officials to implement a series of improvements: fill all potholes, resurface roads, enhance junction designs, finalize white-topping initiatives, establish effective drainage systems to prevent waterlogging, and ensure that roads surrounding ongoing metro construction remain in good, usable condition.
Specifically for the Outer Ring Road, he proposed the strategic design and implementation of 20 new entry and exit points, connecting the service roads directly to the main carriageway.
He further mandated that various agencies, including Metro, BWSSB, and BESCOM, are responsible for fully restoring roads in any areas where their construction or maintenance work has taken place. Should road surfaces become damaged or new potholes emerge due to their activities, these departments are directly responsible for undertaking the necessary repairs. Additionally, he insisted that clear signboards indicating the executing department be prominently displayed at every work site.
At Iblur Junction, Girinath specifically called for the construction of a pedestrian skywalk to improve foot traffic flow and directed that urgent measures be taken to prevent future flooding. He also tasked officials with developing a comprehensive development plan for the junction and evaluating the possibility of installing a ‘magic box’ underpass to further ease traffic congestion.