The sinkhole on Brigade Road appeared because of corruption and negligence, said retired KAS officer and AAP leader K Mathai.
According to him, the road was not asphalted well because of “total corruption”. “It’s more than 40 per cent commission,” he added.
He also found fault with metro authorities’ decision to fill the sinkhole with cement. “A water pipeline may be underneath. If you fill the sinkhole with cement without doing a proper study, all the cement will go with the water,” he added.
The former bureaucrat drew a parallel between Brigade Road and the road in Jnanabharathi, which caved in just days after being asphalted for the prime minister’s visit in June 2022. “The road resembles a chapati,” he said and demanded a CBI probe.
Mathai said civic works of this nature should be done only after consulting technical experts drawn from the BMRCL, the BWSSB and the BBMP.
“Before starting the work, the BMRCL should consult geologists, who should certify that whatever you are doing is not going to affect other utility lines.
Mathai also trained his guns on the Congress’ Shanthinagar MLA, N A Haris, and accused him of corruption. Mathai plans to contest the Assembly election from Shanthinagar.
Traffic diverted
The closure of a part of Brigade Road due to the sinkhole caused bumper-to-bumper traffic jams in the CBD and the surrounding areas. Police diverted traffic to Richmond Road.