Beyond call of duty, police fill potholes

Two weeks of rains seem to have undone all the civic works taken up by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike in the recent past, especially the road patches. The undulating eroded patches of roads with many potholes are back. While the Palike is still worrying about the remedial action, the Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) have already swung into action.

The BTP top brass and additional commissioner (Traffic) P Harishekaran has called upon his officers to attend to these potholes with locally available resources. Considering it as a precautionary measure, at several locations traffic constables have resorted to filling in of potholes.

Speaking to DH, Harishekaran said: “We agree that the road work is the responsibility of the civic bodies like the BBMP. But at the same time, it will be a Herculean task for them too. If all the government machinery works in a multi-pronged way, we can see results and avoid damage to human lives.”

Adding further he said: “There have been 1,200 accidents in the past eight to nine months since I assumed charge. Now, the heavy rains have cast a dark spell on the condition of roads which might jeopardise the lives of the motorists.”

The officer stated that he has instructed all the traffic inspectors to identify the potholes in their jurisdictions and take necessary steps to fill it all by themselves. They have been instructed to arrange for a little cement, sand or concrete from nearby construction sites and fill in potholes to avert accidents.

“In Hebbal, our inspector had done a commendable job by filling a 1-metre patch of road that got eroded on the top of the flyover which was impairing traffic movement. Once it was rectified, the traffic movement is now normal,” Harishekaran pointed.

Acknowledging the work of BTP, mayor Gangambike Mallikarjun told DH: “I have no words to thank them for sharing our burden. Together, we are all working towards making Bengaluru and its roads safe for people during the monsoon months,” she reacted.