The Hindu 26.12.2014
BBMP to outsource work on documenting road history
Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is now set to outsource the job of updating data about road history.
For
three years now, BBMP has been trying to prepare ‘road history’ a
document that will bring in accountability and transparency. However, it
is yet to make any real headway in completing the job, which is based
on geographical information system (GIS).
BBMP
Commissioner M. Lakshminarayana conceded that there is a delay in
completing road history, which could become a mother document, based on
which all works could be sanctioned. Though roads have been mapped, the
details such as when a particular road was last asphalted, number of
electricity poles, telephone lines, OFCs, manholes etc are yet to be
updated.
“This job will be outsourced,” said Mr. Lakshminarayana.
He
said that earlier, BBMP’s engineers had to physically verify and then
update road history, which was time-consuming. “Now, there will be a
format based on which road history will have to be updated,” he said and
added that the civic body had already linked payment of bills to road
history. “Henceforth, all work-related bills will be generated online
and will be cleared only after the details about the road are updated.
This will eliminate duplication of work and double billing.”
Kadu
Malleswara councillor Manjunath Raju said road history is 95 per cent
complete for the seven wards in Malleswaram Assembly constituency. “We
have taken it further and mapped manholes of BWSSB as well.”
He
said the GIS-based system could be used by other civic agencies,
including Bescom, to map their utilities. “This will prevent misuse of
public funds,” he added.
‘Henceforth,
all work-related bills will be generated online and will be cleared
only after the details about the road are updated’