Mysuru: Compensate pothole victims, MCC urged

MYSURU: The city witnesses a large number of road accidents due to speeding, rash and negligent driving, bad roads among others. While the riders suffer physically and financially due to accidents, the civic agencies go scot free despite their negligence in maintaining the quality of roads.
Recently, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had announced its decision to provide reasonable compensation as per the guidelines to the residents, in case of injury, loss of life or any damage in an accident due to potholes or poor condition of the roads and footpaths.
Mysuru residents, jointly with several organisations, have also raised a demand for compensation from Mysuru City Corporation for accidents due to their negligence in maintaining roads and footpaths.
Mysore Grahakara Parishat’s Bhamy V Shenoy told TOI that BBMP announced the compensation for the road accident victims following protests by several consumer organisations.
“People pay taxes for the corporation and it is the responsibility of the civic agency to maintain roads. There are hundreds of potholes on roads in the city and the corporation has failed to take up regular maintenance resulting in lots of accidents where commuters, especially two-wheeler riders, suffer injuries,” he said.
Shenoy said MCC digs up roads for laying cables and fails to repair it. “MCC is negligent because people have stopped questioning them. There is a nexus between corporators, officials and contractors. It is the fault of the people as they maintain silence and never raise their voice against the apathy,” he said.
MCC commissioner Gurudatta Hegde told TOI that there is no provision in the MCC to provide compensation to victims who meet with accidents due to potholes. “I will look in the matter. We will discuss it in the council meet,” he said.
However, health standing committee chairman J Gopi told TOI that he will raise the issue in the next council meeting. “From MCC health department, we are providing Rs 15,000 as medical bill for injuries and other illness for BPL card holders,” he said.