BENGALURU: Commuters battling traffic jams caused by whitetopping of roads across the city have to endure the chaos for at least 10 more months. Whitetopping work (laying of cement concrete) undertaken by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike ( BBMP ) on stretches spanning 93.5km in two packages has missed the deadlines. Five road stretches havebeen taken up for whitetopping under package1and nine under package 2.Deadline pushedWhile the September 2018 deadline for roads under package 1 has been postponed to November 2019, work on the other package is only expected to be over by September 2019, a year after the August 2018 deadline.The inability of contractors to deploy enough men and machinery to finish the work in time was the talking point at a review meeting held recently. Besides BBMP officials, traffic police personnel, who bear the brunt of congestion, and representatives of contractors also attended it.The meeting was organised after deputy chief minister G Parameshwara expressed concerns over the tardy progress of whitetopping work. He wanted to know what was contributing to the slow pace, which, he said, raised questions on the contractors’ credibility and capability.“The contractors have not even shown interest to deliver the projects. We have decided to draw up an action plan so that the work is expedited and finished on time,” chief engineer (project-central) KT Nagaraj was quoted as saying in the meeting.The contractors’ representatives, however, blamed local, including political, constraints and insufficient supply of material for thedelays, according tosources privy to the meeting’s proceedings.Lack of coordination among various agencies is also to blame for the delay. While the BWSSB says the roads don’t require shifting of pipelines, BBMP officials complain that the pipelines are old and need frequent repairs. “As pipeline leakages can’t be fixed after whitetopping is done, there’s a need to shift or upgrade them. We have earmarked a 1m-wide stretch on both sides to lay lines in future,” Nagaraj said at the meeting.However, BBMP commissioner N Manjunatha Prasad said the issue will be brought to the notice of DyCM Parameshwara and the chief secretary.He also warned contractors of action as per the terms and conditions of the contract if they fail to meet the deadlines.“Engineers and account branch officials should ensure the bills submitted by contractors are scrutinised in time and submitted for payment. Contractors should deploy the required number of pavers so that all work is completed soon,” Prasad maintained.

Stay updated with all the Bangalore Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.