Are garbage and silt replacing cement?

BANGALORE: After battling broken pavements and uncovered drains for months, the residents of Shivajinagar heaved a sigh of relief a few days ago, when, the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) started repairing the footpath on the Broadway Road.But the lackadaisical approach of the corporation and halfhearted repair work done has left the residents astonished, as they wonder how long the pavement will survive before it crumbles all over again.The BBMP took up the work a couple of months ago, after repeated complaints by the residents and commuters alike.But the tepid effort by the authorities concerned is clearly visible, looking at the way the work is being carried out.With no supervision on the site, the gap between the pavement slabs are conveniently being filled with the garbage that was dug out to make space for the slabs.“I wonder how long will this kind of work last.There is no engineer to supervise these workers.The gaps in between the cement slabs are being filled with garbage.No concrete work is being done here.This pavement will also collapse soon,” said Yusuf Mohammad, a shop owner on the stretch.Yusuf further pointed out that the pavement is hardly being cemented.“They have got only half a sack of cement for the whole stretch and even that is hardly being used.The work that is being carried out, will not last long,” said Yusuf.Residents also complain that the work is being done very slow, making the situation worse.“Although the repair work is a welcome sight for us, the halfhearted job done and the slow process of the work is troubling us the most.The pavement in front of my shop was dug and left unattended for a month or so.And even after the work started, it took very long for it to be finished,” said a shop owner on the condition of anonymity.When the local corporator Fareeda was contacted she said, “The work has been going on for a couple of months now, but I am not aware of the unsupervised and shoddy work being carried out.The work is under the supervision of the local engineer.I will look into the matter soon and will make sure that the person responsible is penalised.” When City Express tried to get in touch with the engineer in charge, Bhagwaan, he chose to be tight lipped about the matter.