JOIN USA Lokayukta Executive Engineer is visiting the city, on Thursday, to inspect the Rajamarga in connection with the probe into the irregularities in laying of the Rajamarga.
EE Jayakumar, from Bengaluru, has invited the complainant, Corporator H S Nandeesh Preetham, to be present during the inspection and to give necessary information for the probe. Preetham, also city BJP secretary, had complained to the Lokayukta in December 2015 that there were widespread irregularities in the laying of the Rajamarga as the project has been unusually delayed despite spending of huge amounts of funds.
"There have been complaints from the people that the path/road has been damaged at many places even before the completed Rajamarga is dedicated formally. There have been many instances where the authorities have taken up replacement of some components and also repair works even before the completion of the works," Preetham said.
Rajamarga, or the royal path, is the path of the Dasara Jamboo Savari, which passes along the Mysuru Palace, City Bus Stand and Sayyaji Rao Road in the core heritage zone (CHZ). It is one of the most busy stretches in the city, frequented by tourists and local residents, alike.
An ambitious project of the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC), Rajamarga faced hurdles from the beginning and the project, taken up at a cost of Rs 18 crore in 2010, was completed at a snail's pace only before the last Dasara, at an escalated cost of over Rs 100 crore. Even after the completion, the path has not been maintained well.
The footpath tiles and inter-linking blocks, even granite balustrades have broken, making it an ugly stretch of road. The drains have caved in at many places, inconveniencing both the road users and the pedestrians.