With monsoon showers exposing Bengaluru’s perennial road and drainage problems, Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Chief Commissioner M. Maheshwar Rao on Monday said officials have been directed to deploy pothole-filling machines and ensure roads across the city are made pothole-free at the earliest.

Speaking to reporters after reviewing white-topping and buffer road projects, Mr. Rao said the highest number of complaints received so far relates to waterlogging. He said GBA has identified and inspected major stormwater drains along nearly 1,500 kms of arterial roads and completed around 70% of desilting works to prevent flooding. “We have instructed officials to continue the work until all identified areas are covered. So far, there have been no major instances of waterlogging,” he said. 

Following recent rains, more than 80 locations requiring immediate intervention have been identified. Mr. Rao said officials have been instructed to use pothole-filling machines and cold-mix material such as Ecofix to carry out repairs. Batch-mix plants will also be used where required, while a more intensive pothole repair drive will be undertaken once weather conditions improve, he said. 

He said all corporations have been directed to address complaints immediately, whether received through the app or directly from residents. Most of the identified waterlogging-prone locations are in the Central, South and North corporations, and the traffic police have also been informed to coordinate response measures. 

He further said white-topping works covering 58.6 km of roads at a cost of ₹800 crore have achieved 56.1% progress, with 28.18 km completed. Another package covering 66.28 km of roads at a cost of ₹900 crore has recorded 46.43% progress, with 26.4 km completed. Overall, the projects have achieved 51% progress.