HC seeks report on steps taken by BBMP on waterlogging & potholes

NT Correspondent Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Thursday requested the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to submit an affidavit on their annual strategies in countering waterlogging issues and filling potholes of all roads in the city. This comes after the city was flooded due to heavy and incessant rainfall. Commuters, and citizens are not happy with the poor quality of roads and feel they are still in bad shape despite repeated requests and pothole-filling drives including the 15-day timeline set in September by Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar to fill them.A bench of Chief Justice NV Anjaria and Justice KV Aravind granted a month’s time to the civic body, after the legal counsel was quoted saying that “all the engineers are busy clearing the water.” This also comes after a previous direction on September 21, where the BBMP sought a week’s time.

However, the bench led by Chief Justice Anjaria directed the Palike to submit the affidavit by November 22, the next date of hearing. The court has done several sittings on this issue after a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in 2015, seeking action by the BBMP to ensure smooth road infrastructure for motorists and pedestrians in the city. The petitioner said that the officials are “missing in action,” amidst waterlogging becoming a “burning issue.”