Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Chief Commissioner M. Maheshwar Rao on Wednesday once again pulled up officials and directed them to expedite work on the Wind Tunnel Junction underpass project near the U.R. Rao Satellite Centre on HAL Airport Road by deploying additional manpower and machinery to complete the work within the scheduled timeline.

During an inspection, the Chief Commissioner instructed officials to fast-track pending utility shifting works, including the relocation of pipelines, sewer lines, cables and optical fibre cables, and complete them within 10 days.

Mr. Rao directed officials to create temporary roads on both sides of the junction through defence land, ISRO, NAL premises and nearby private properties wherever feasible to ensure smooth traffic movement during construction and prevent congestion.

Officials told the Chief Commissioner that nearly 70% of the work has been completed. They said that once utility relocation and retaining wall work are completed, the prefabricated box structures will be installed in the central section, following which the remaining service road works will be taken up in the final phase of the project.  

The Gobbler

Mr. Rao also directed officials to deploy the Gobbler smart waste collection machine on a trial basis across major roads in Bengaluru and submit a performance report before considering a wider rollout across city corporations.

The direction came during a demonstration of the machine held on Commercial Street in Shivajinagar. Mr. Rao said the city should increasingly adopt smart technology solutions to improve road cleanliness.

The Gobbler is a battery-operated smart litter-picking machine that can be operated either by a trained driver standing on it or remotely while walking alongside. The machine can run for nearly eight hours after about three hours of charging and is equipped with GPS tracking. It can also operate in narrow spaces.

The machine is fitted with a 240-litre waste collection container, dust filters, warning lights, reverse alarms, fire safety equipment and biodegradable garbage collection bags. Officials said it is designed to suction roadside waste, including dust, dry leaves, plastic covers, wrappers, bottles, paper, glass and small debris. It also includes a water storage and pressure-based cleaning system.

GBA officials said the machine would be tested in high-footfall areas and markets to assess its efficiency and operational feasibility before any large-scale deployment is considered.