BJP cries foul as Karnataka govt promises Rs 1,100 crore for Bengaluru roads

Bengaluru:  Last week, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar announced that the state government would allocate Rs 1,100 crore for the development of roads in Bengaluru, which have become increasingly non-motorable due to potholes.

He also said that a sum of Rs 50 crore each would be provided to 14 constituencies, while the remaining constituencies would get Rs 25 crore each.

Calling it a case of double standards, BJP legislators were not happy with the announcement, stating that the government was trying to favour Congress-ruled constituencies with higher allocations.

Expressing disappointment, Jayanagar MLA C K Ramamurthy said he had requested a grant of Rs 100 crore for road repairs given the poor condition of most roads. “In Jayanagar, most roads are wide, stretching between 40 feet and 80 feet in some cases. There have been instances of road accidents. Providing just Rs 25 crore is not sufficient,” he noted.

Other BJP legislators pointed out that, apart from the ongoing white-topping works, the government had not sanctioned any major grants for Bengaluru in the past two and a half years.

C V Raman Nagar MLA S Raghu argued that allocations should be made after assessing road conditions across all constituencies, regardless of the ruling party. “The government’s allocations have been inconsistent and this impacts the entire city,” he said, adding that C V Raman Nagar alone generates about Rs 500 crore in property tax.

Currently, the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) is undertaking white-topping of approximately 134 km of roads at a total cost of Rs 1,600 crore, half of which is funded by the state.

Ahead of the last Assembly elections, when Basavaraj Bommai was Chief Minister, the BJP government had allocated around Rs 6,000 crore for Bengaluru, most of which was spent on road asphalting. Potholes have since reappeared on many of those roads. V K Srivatsa, a resident of Hemmigepura, suggested that the government must change its approach to fund allocation for better results. “The government should stop releasing funds through MLAs and route them directly to the newly carved corporations. Commissioners have been appointed to improve civic services, but without adequate grants, how can they deliver?” he asked. He also pointed out that the Greater Bengaluru Authority is not directly accountable to the public.

A senior official from the Urban Development Department (UDD) said the government has not yet approved the allocations. “There is a proposal to provide grants for Bengaluru, but no order has been issued so far,” he said.