JOIN USChief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday admitted that Bangalore city is facing infrastructure inadequacies, and promised to solve all problems related to infrastructure in a phased manner.
“I too am a resident of Bangalore. I left the village long ago. I talk about village life, but it does not mean that I do not have concern for the city. There are a lot of problems in Bangalore. Sincere efforts will be made to solve them,” he stated on the sidelines of the launch of the Anna Bhagya Yojane, a scheme that gives rice at Re 1 per kg.
The previous government has left many problems unattended. The problem of garbage clearance and disposal has remained unsolved. Roads and footpaths are in bad shape. There is a need to ease the problem of mounting traffic by constructing underpasses and flyovers, he said.
Unwieldy growth
Bangalore has grown into a major city. But the growth has been unwieldy. “The City needs an effective public transport system, access to clean drinking water, underground drainage and healthcare. The corporation (the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike) does not have money to solve the problems. The government has to extend a helping hand, and it will,” he said.
Siddaramaiah was speaking after Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy, who is also in charge of Bangalore district , urged him to give priority to the City's development in the coming State budget, to be presented on Friday.
Reddy, who made a strong pitch for giving importance to the development of Bangalore in his speech, said 60 per cent of the State's revenue comes from Bangalore city alone. But the City does not have adequate infrastructure.
Important roads in the city have not been asphalted for the last three years. The previous BJP government had completely neglected it. As a result, potholes have surfaced on many stretches. Parks and playgrounds are languishing due to the absence of maintenance.
“The then government led by S M Krishna had ensured cleanliness by implementing Swacha Bangalore programme. Subsequent governments neglected the City. What was once called the Garden City has now become Garbage City. We need to make the city Swacha Bangalore again. So more money should be provided in the budget,” he added.
Ragi, jowar may come under PDS
The State is ready to include ragi and jowar under the public distribution system (PDS) if farmers grow more of these crops and sell them to it, said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday after launching the “Anna Bhagya Yojane”, DHNS reports from Bangalore.