The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), which is facing a series of delays in the first phase of the white topping project on key arterial roads, has already floated tenders for Phase 2 of the ambitious project. Some of the roads that will be taken up in Phase 2 are K.R. Road, Basavanagudi Main Road, Race Course Road and Gandhi Bazaar Road. Most of roads chosen for the second phase are in the central business district and work will most likely compound the traffic problems there.

Sanjeev Dyammannavar, founder of online citizens’ forum Praja, questioned the rationale behind the BBMP floating tenders for Phase 2 when work on Phase 1 is far from over. “The State government and the BBMP should have ideally reviewed the progress and ensured that deadlines are met,” he said, adding that the focus should be promoting public transport and reducing pressure on roads.

Several motorists have expressed unhappiness over the quality of work under Phase 1. “In Kalyan Nagar, for instance, the newly white-topped road is not even or smooth. When you ride a two-wheeler, you feel bumps,” said one motorist.

BBMP officials claimed that they had learnt from ‘mistakes made under Phase 1’ where work was entrusted to a single contractor, which is one of the reasons for the delayed execution.

The work under the second phase has been divided into eight packages. Under each package, there are not more than 15 roads. “That apart, one contractor will not be able to bag all the packages. Each package will be awarded to a different contractor,” the official added.

The civic body had given a 12-month deadline to complete white-topping projects, work on which began in August 2017. While the deadline for the project expired on August 24, 2018, only around 15 km of the 39.8 km has been completed so far. The contractor entrusted with the project has sought an extension of the deadline by another 12 months.

Work is in progress on 20th Main Road in Koramangala, Kadugodi Main Road, BTS Road and Kanakapura Road. Conceding to delays in executing the project, senior officials said the BBMP would review the proposal before fixing a new deadline. They pointed out that the roads chosen for white topping were ones that witnessed heavy traffic. “We are not getting the clearance from the traffic police who have to issue diversions,” said BBMP officials.

The other aspect that is contributing to the delay is that work can be taken up only at night and for a maximum of six hours. Last year, the work was delayed for several month due to rains and Assembly polls.

For motorists commuting to work, traffic snarls have become the norm. Near Madhav Rao Circle in Basavanagudi, for instance, the BBMP has completed white topping only one side of the road.

“Traffic diversions are very confusing due to which motorists are often forced to drive on the wrong side of the road, and even haphazardly between barricades,” said Anantha Shastry, who uses the road regularly.

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