An underpass on Magadi Road near KHB Colony that was inaugurated by Chief Minister S Siddaramaiah just three months ago has completely failed the test of the heavy rainfall in the city it would seem.

Newly built by the BBMP, the underpass is already undergoing ‘repairs’.Govindarajanagar ward BBMP corporator K Umesh Shetty tried to argue that the underpass was in this condition because of the continuous water leakage in the main wall from BWSSB’s pipeline that passes through. The wall is located in a corner on the bridge that leads to Basaveshwara nagar. The condition of the underpass worsened after the rain.

The corporator told BM that while construction work was going on at the underpass, water was leaking from the wall. “We requested the engineer and contractor to stop work and dismantle the pipeline as it may create problems in future,” he said.

But, his request was ignored. “The work was finished without finding a remedy to the problem. Asphaltation was carried out on the wall,” he explained. After that leak, seepage has begun now and a crack has developed in the joint now. “Though I spoke to the chief engineer of the BBMP(project) and the other officials, they did not take any steps to fix the problem,” the corporator alleged.

KT Nagaraj, chief engineer (projects) of BBMP, said it was not repair work that is going on. “Chemical treatment work is going on at the expansion joints. Vitamin and jute materials will be filled into the joints as any concrete work will contract and expand. Hence, there a gap of three to four metre is formed in between the work,” he said.

He said the seepage of water cannot be avoided in underpasses. “Hence, we will construct weep holes through which seepage water can flow,” he explained.