Bengaluru: Road caves in during metro construction, one injured
What's the story
In yet another case of shocking civic apathy, a biker was reportedly injured after a road in central Bengaluru's Shoolay Circle caved in, creating a massive hole in the middle of the road on Thursday. The incident took place near an area where some tunnel boring work as part of the Namma Metro's Phase II construction is currently underway, reported NDTV.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has been under the cosh for a while now over poor road conditions and commuter safety issues. The latest incident came to light only two days after an under-construction metro pillar collapsed, killing a mother-son duo near Bengaluru's Outer Ring Road in HBR Layout. The incident sparked massive outrage against the Karnataka government, BBMP, and Namma Metro.
Details
Construction workers rushed to site for repair work: Report
The incident was reported at about 12:30 pm on Thursday, and the complete stretch of the affected road was closed for regular vehicular movement soon after, reported India Today. Several construction workers were also brought in to begin the repair work on the road. As a result of the incident, a traffic jam was reported as one side of the road was blocked.
Twitter Post
Take a look at the sinkhole in Bengaluru
Karnataka | A portion of a road caved in at Ashok Nagar in Bengaluru amid ongoing work related to metro construction underground. pic.twitter.com/2cyLJUIvwS
— ANI (@ANI) January 12, 2023
Info
Under-construction metro pillar collapse that killed two
Earlier on Tuesday, a woman and her toddler son were crushed to death near Bengaluru's HSR Layout after an under-construction metro pillar collapsed on them. She was traveling along with her husband and another child. Taking action against the concerned officials after the mishap, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) suspended the project's site engineer, the Deputy Chief Engineer, and the Executive Engineer.
Promises made
CM Bommai announced Rs. 10 lakh ex-gratia
Following the Tuesday incident, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai announced that a detailed probe into the matter would be conducted. He also announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 10 lakh to the deceased's family. An FIR has been filed against unidentified individuals in connection with the sudden collapse of the metro pillar under construction, the police confirmed.
Know more
Bengaluru reported 7 pothole-related deaths last year
In 2022, Bengaluru reported seven deaths due to potholes, as per reports. This is the highest number recorded in the previous two years. Such road fatalities have been on the rise in the recent years. According to the Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP), only one pothole-related fatality was reported in 2017 and three in 2020. However, the numbers have increased dramatically since 2021.
BTP data
Bengaluru reported 777 road accident deaths in 2022
As per BTP data, Bengaluru also reported nearly 800 deaths in 2022 in fatal road accidents. The official data showed that 3,827 accidents were reported in the city last year, resulting in 777 deaths and 3,235 injuries. Over the past decade, the most number of road accident fatalities reported in Bengaluru was when 793 people died in 2016.