M Lokesh to head BBMP’s Road Infrastructure Wing

Bengaluru: Amid growing public complaints about potholes across the city, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on Tuesday assigned its Chief Engineer, M Lokesh, to lead the Road Infrastructure (RI) division. He will also continue to serve as the General Manager (Technical) at the Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Ltd.

Meanwhile, SV Rajesh, Chief Engineer of the BBMP’s South Zone, has been appointed to head the Storm Water Drain (SWD) Department, which has faced criticism for inadequate efforts to prevent city flooding.

Both these key positions had been vacant following the state government’s transfer of BS Prahlad as Director (Technical) of the newly established Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Ltd. (B.SMIL).

While these appointments were much anticipated, there remains uncertainty over work allocations following the formation of the new Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for major infrastructure projects.

In a recent government order, the state approved the dissolution of the BBMP’s Central Projects Wing with the establishment of B.SMIL. Some responsibilities have since been reassigned to the health and building wings of the BBMP.

These organisational changes are part of a broader restructuring of the BBMP into a three-tier system headed by the Greater Governance Authority, which took effect on May 15.