GROUND REALITY
CM Siddaramaiah conducted city-wide road inspections, ordering urgent repairs and giving officials a one-month deadline to make all roads motorable.
Bengaluru
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday announced a strict 30-day deadline for officials to make all city roads motorable and fill potholes, warning that Commissioners and Chief Engineers of the five city corporations would be held accountable for any lapses.
The CM conducted extensive “city rounds” to inspect road conditions and ongoing repair works. “I have instructed potholes to be filled with proper quality materials. An assistant executive engineer has already been suspended for leaving a pothole filled only with gravel without tar or wet mix. Contractors are responsible for maintaining roads undergoing white topping, such as Hennur Road, where Rs 13 crore per km is being spent for a 5 km stretch,” he said.
Addressing reporters, Siddaramaiah acknowledged that potholes result from heavy rains but stressed timely action was not taken earlier. “Potholes have occurred due to increased rain. Now, I have asked for them to be filled within a month,” he said, adding that Commissioners and Chief Engineers will be responsible for road maintenance under the new five-corporation structure.
The government has faced criticism over the poor state of Bengaluru roads. Industry leaders, including former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai and Biocon Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, recently urged immediate intervention. Outrage intensified after online trucking firm BlackBuck cited road conditions on the ORR as a reason to relocate.
On garbage management, the CM said he instructed immediate clearance, warning that officials would face action for negligence. Responding to concerns about the ongoing Social and Educational Survey, Siddaramaiah confirmed that it will proceed as per court directives, noting that over ten lakh people have already been surveyed.
