'Crumbling asphalt State's bane'

State Planning Board deputy chairman D H Shankaramurthy is of the opinion that roads across Karnataka are poorly managed. He attributes the reason to wastage of money which, according to him, is “going down the drains”.

Speaking at a seminar on Vision 2020 organised by the State Planning Board at the Vikas Soudha here on Tuesday, Shankaramurthy said: “Why are the State roads always in bad state despite spending a huge amount of money?...

“It is not that the State has no funds. We have been spending a lot, and we have the capacity to spend as well... We need to concentrate on this aspect now,” he further said.
It is not the common man alone who is grumbling about bad roads. Politicians, including those in power, too, are upset and are openly complaining about the menace.

When asked about the funds allocated for the maintenanence of roads, Shankarmurthy said: “I can only say it is going down the drains.” He further said the quality of roads is so poor that a small amount of rain is enough to damage them.

“There is no point blaming anyone. We need to apply our mind and ensure that quality is maintained. This is exactly what the BJP government is trying to do,” he said.

He expressed displeasure over the state of tourism infrastructure. Tourism sector has the potential to generate nearly 50 per cent of the funds required to implement a State budget.