Credit: DH Photo/Pushkar V
Bengaluru: Bengaluru's bad roads, a headache for commuters and an inspiration for social media memes, are finally set for repairs.
The Urban Development Department (UDD) has approved an action plan to resurface 389.68 km roads at a cost of Rs 694 crore. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will execute the project over two financial years.
The outer areas of the city — where roads are in a worse condition than in central Bengaluru — have received a larger share of the allocation. A total of Rs 429.5 crore has been earmarked for nine assembly constituencies, including Yelahanka, Bommanahalli, and RR Nagar.
Mahadevapura, a tech hub grappling with poor infrastructure, has been allocated Rs 140 crore, while Dasarahalli has received the smallest share of Rs 20 crore.
A total of Rs 264.5 crore has been set aside for the city's core area, which comprises around 18 assembly constituencies. These areas, which are relatively in better condition, fall under BBMP’s East, West, and South zones.
In September of this year, the BBMP planned repairs for 197 roads with an outlay of Rs 659.71 crore. However, following pressure from MLAs, the list was revised to include additional stretches requiring urgent attention. In early November, the BBMP submitted an updated action plan that now includes 218 roads.
With the UDD’s approval to move forward with tenders, the BBMP is optimistic about commencing roadwork by January. Meanwhile, the civic body has formed an eleven-member committee, including experts from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, and the World Resources Institute (WRI) India, to develop a standard operating procedure (SOP) for repairing roads and footpaths by mid-December.