Bengaluru needs out-of-pothole thinking

The Karnataka High Court’s proceedings on Bengaluru’s pothole epidemic have raised hopes that the shameful state of our city roads may, at last, get some attention. So appalling is the state of our roads, and so brazen is the authorities’ disregard for the needs of its citizens, that Bengalurians are calling for the prime minister himself to visit their neighbourhoods so that the roads may be properly resurfaced.

The joke is a sign of despair.

A city brimming with entrepreneurial energy, advanced science and technology, refined arts and culture has been brought to its knees by potholes, missing street lights, flooding, and never-ending traffic congestion.

Read | Bengaluru's potholes: Who's accountable?

The problems are complex and interconnected, but there are solutions. Even if the municipal corporation has been either incapable or derelict in managing the city’s infrastructure, the current combination of civic activism, judicial interest, and administrative focus demonstrates that change is possible. To make the most of this opportune moment, we must identify the critical leverage points in the system and not merely the most obvious symptoms.

There is no doubt that identifying the potholes and filling them is urgent and important. This will prevent bodily injury and loss of life and improve traffic flows. However, filling potholes is a Sisyphean task that addresses the visible symptoms. The newly filled potholes will reappear within weeks. We need a systemic solution to ensure that potholes are not formed in the first place.

Why are potholes formed? The ready answer is corruption. This is an undoubtable fact. And we must hold politicians, officials, and contractors accountable. But if we stop our inquiry here, we will be missing other causes: the absence of administrative coordination and unchecked vandalism. What this means is that we need not wait for the corruption problem to be solved to get massive improvements in road quality and safety.

A couple of years ago, the roads in my neighbourhood were impressively redone. The surface had been properly asphalted, lanes had been marked, cat-eyes had been installed, and footpaths had been paved. A few months later, one side of the road was excavated to install fibre-optic cables. This took a couple of months, and while the road was resurfaced, it was now uneven with gaps where water could seep in. Then came the turn of the water and sewage pipes, and the road was dug up at intervals. The cover-up was perfunctory. A few months later, a commercial building dug up the road diagonally to install electric cables, sprinkled some holy sand on the deep rut, and was done with it. Then the rains came and resulted in a patchwork of potholes.

Filling potholes with pebbles and tar will not solve the problem. There is a pathology to potholes: once the road surface is damaged, water and mechanical wear and tear will enlarge the spot and turn it into a pothole. Potholes will then expand and merge with each other to form bigger ones.

A stitch in time saves nine. But preventing a small tear saves nine hundred. We should stop potholes from forming. The good news is that this is not difficult and does not cost a lot of money. Mere administrative changes and leadership can go a long way in preventing good roads from developing into bad ones.

Firstly, each ward must form a Road Coordination Committee comprised of all officials from the BBMP, BWSSB, BESCOM, telecom, and gas industries who are authorised to dig roads. The committee must create a common calendar on a quarterly basis, to coordinate road works. Once work has been completed at a given stretch, it should not be dug up for the next year. It should also certify that the repair work is of requisite quality. The information on requests, work schedules, and completion dates must be published online. This will enable citizens to identify authorised road works and challenge unauthorised ones.

Second, police stations must be required to charge any person who digs up public roads without authorisation by the Road Coordination Committee. Damaging public property is a crime, and no new statutes are required to prevent it.

When it rules on the matter, the High Court could direct the BBMP to set up Road Coordination Committees and a foolproof framework for authorising road works. It could also direct the Commissioner of Police to ensure that vandalisation of roads and pavements is vigorously prosecuted.

(The writer is director of the Takshashila Institution, Bengaluru.)