Cell formed to prevent illegal road digging

By Govind D.Belgaumkar

BANGALORE, AUG. 25. The Bangalore Mahanagara Palike is making serious efforts to prevent unauthorised digging up of roads. It will also supervise the relaying of dug up roads.

The BMP has started implementing the road-digging protocol, and is regulating road digging activities. There is also a plan to include the list of permits issued to service agencies and individuals for the work on its website.

Mr. S.Radhakrishna, Executive Engineer, who is heading the Road Cutting Cell (RCC) constituted by the BMP Commissioner, Mr. K.Jairaj, says that 11 such permits (nine to Telecom Department and two to individuals) have been issued and the list will be included in the website (blrbmp.com) in a couple of days.

This is the first time that such a cell has been formed by the BMP to accord permission to dig up roads and to supervise their relaying.

Mr. Radhakrishna says that unauthorised digging up of roads has been stopped. In a few cases, the articles used for the work have been seized. If any agency is found digging up roads unauthorisedly, they will be prosecuted. Nodal officers have been identified in each of the service agencies to prevent such instances.

The BMP has taken a policy decision not to allow trenches across roads. If service agencies need to lay cables or pipes across roads, they could resort to "trenchless digging". This can be done by creating ducts across them using a machine.

No longitudinal digging of roads will be allowed. Only footpaths can be so dug up. If this is not possible, the rule will be relaxed. The BMP will also ask agencies seeking permission to dig up roads to give information on the location where the work will be undertaken and details such as their telephone numbers.

One of the permits issued was to the Telecom Department to dig a trench on a footpath. The department was asked to start the work at 7 a.m. of August 18 and finish it in 48 hours. It has adhered to the deadline. If any agency violate this, they will be penalised, Mr. Radhakrishna says.

The agencies have been informed that road digging should be conducted only during the day. "Digging of roads at night is illegal," says Mr. U.A.Vasanth Rao, Deputy Commissioner (Taxation and Resources), who is also a member of the RCC.

Road digging is allowed only after collecting charges and security deposits from the applicants. A part of the deposit will be returned after ensuring that the trenches were filled up properly. An inspection will be conducted six months after the work was completed for this, Mr. Radhakrishna says.

Mr. Jairaj told The Hindu that nearly half-a-kilometre of road was being unauthorisedly dug up the BWSSB on T.R.Mill Road in Chamarajpet. This had been stopped.

He said that the internet service providers (ISPs), who wanted to dig nearly 240 km. of roads to lay cables, had been asked to discuss the issue among themselves.

The BMP was aware of the "daunting" task of identifying the dug up roads. "There are thousands of them," he said. The executive engineers had been asked to repair them before September 10.

Meanwhile, the BMP has decided to issue badges to those who are given permission to dig up roads. This has to be worn by the workers employed by them.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Southern States
Previous : 'Poachers' become protectors of forest wealth
Next     : Young World contest from today