"Don’t you see the daily hardship of the people? Why are you not taking urgent action?" asked Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, expressing deep dissatisfaction with senior government officials over the poor state of Bengaluru’s roads.
Siddaramaiah on September 20 chaired a high-level meeting to review the condition of Bengaluru roads. The CM questioned why road works were not completed before the rainy season and stated that newly appointed Greater Bengaluru Authority commissioners must conduct field inspections and closely monitor ongoing works. He also set a one-month deadline to repair all potholes.
He directed engineers and chief engineers of each ward to take strict action to repair potholes within a month. "Officials failing to act appropriately will face strict action," he said. Officials were instructed to ensure high-quality-scientific road works.
The CM expressed unhappiness over the lack of coordination among agencies like Bangalore Development Authority, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited, and Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board officials, and directed all departments to work in sync, with a one-month deadline to close all potholes.
“The Greater Bengaluru Authority Chief Commissioner will hold weekly meetings with commissioners of all five zones and maintain continuous oversight. In case of fund shortages, finance department will release necessary resources", he said. The CM said he would review the work again after a month.
Pothole status
On 1,648 km of the Greater Bengaluru Authority’s road network, 14,795 potholes have been identified across Bengaluru Central, East, West, North, and South Municipal Corporations. Of these, 6,749 potholes have been repaired, while 8,046 remain pending, all to be closed by the end of October, a statement from CM's office said.
"White topping work has been completed on 108 km of roads, with 143 km under progress. Asphalt work has been completed on 401 km, with 440 km ongoing. Development works are in progress on a total of 584 km. A budget allocation of Rs 18 crore for 2025-26 has been made to close potholes on arterial and sub-arterial roads, with Rs 25 crore already released to urban corporations for emergency works. A Rs 2.50 crore tender has been floated to use JETPATCHER technology, capable of repairing potholes even during wet conditions", it said.
"A technical coordination officer will be appointed to oversee works across all five corporations. Damaged junctions at Ibbalur, Agara, Veerannapalya, Nagawara, and Hebbal- affected by BWSSB and BMRCL- are set for comprehensive redevelopment under the Rs 400 crore Outer Ring Road Development Project", it adds.
Public protest
Meanwhile, hundreds of residents, including children and senior citizens, formed a peaceful human chain along Varthur Road on Saturday, in front of Prestige Lakeside Habitat, demanding urgent repairs to the dangerously damaged stretch between Gunjur and Varthur Kodi.
Also, read: After outrage, BlackBuck CEO clarifies: only relocating within Bengaluru
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
