IAS officer Maheshwar Rao convened a review meeting with chief engineers to identify 100 critical roads across Bengaluru plagued by potholes, poor footpaths, inadequate lighting, flooding, and accident-prone black spots, with plans for long-term fixes. The move follows Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw’s criticism of Karnataka, where she highlighted deteriorating infrastructure and pothole-ridden, garbage-strewn roads.
Identify 100 critical roads
“Today held a review meeting with Chief Engineers of all city corporations to identify the Top 100 Critical Roads across Bengaluru,” the IAS officer wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
He then shared the key decisions taken during the meeting.
“Each Zonal Chief Engineer will shortlist 10 key roads based on citizen feedback, covering potholes, footpaths, lighting, flooding, and black spots. Focus is on long-term, durable road solutions beyond temporary fixes. Any work by BWSSB/BESCOM on these roads requires GBA approval. Weekly reviews will ensure accountability and continuous monitoring,” he said
The IAS officer stated that the initiative aligns with Bengaluru’s citizen-centric vision for safer, better roads, noting that all relevant officials attended the review meeting.
Industry leaders should stop hurting B’luru
Earlier, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar responded to Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw’s criticism of Bengaluru’s infrastructure, stating that industry leaders should stop “hurting” the city and the state that has contributed to their growth.
Shivakumar, who also holds the Bengaluru Development portfolio, urged industry leaders to remember their “roots” – Bengaluru, Karnataka, and its people – and called for patience, emphasising that “there is a limitation for everything”.
“Making such posts is (like) killing themselves. They are hurting their own country and the state that helped them. Where were they 25 years ago? It is this Bengaluru that has contributed everything to them. If they want to hurt themselves, it’s left to them,” the minister said.
“In order to help IT companies, and to ensure better traffic and roads, we created the East Bengaluru Corporation,” he further told the media.