Potholed roads in Bengaluru: BJP to block roads across Karnataka in protest

People are upset with the state of roads. We will hold a rasta-roko for one hour on September 24, says Vijayendra.

The bad condition of several roads in Bengaluru and public criticism over poor infrastructure have led the Karnataka BJP unit to announce a State-wide protest on September 24.

The party plans to block roads across all 224 Assembly constituencies in Karnataka as a mark of protest. “People are upset with the state of roads. We will hold a 'rasta-roko' for one hour from 11 am," State BJP president B Y Vijayendra has said.

"We have given a call that on September 24, party workers will stage a protest against the condition of roads filled with potholes in all the 224 Assembly constituencies of the State. It's across the State, whether it's Bengaluru, Shivamogga, Vijayapura, or Kalaburagi," Vijayendra said, as per PTI news agency reports.

The Congress government in the State is facing severe criticism from various sections claiming that roads in the State, especially those in Bengaluru, are riddled with potholes.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, on Saturday, set a one-month deadline to ensure that all the potholes in Bengaluru are fixed and the roads are in good condition. The CM is said to have taken officials to task for failing to finish the road repair works before the monsoon.

Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister D K Shivakumar has said that the government is committed to fixing the pothole problem in the city, and work is going on a war footing.

This came after the government faced the heat from citizens and industry leaders last week after Shivakumar said companies cannot blackmail the government over infrastructure issues.

Shivakumar’s statement followed the recent announcement by logistics tech company BlackBuck to relocate its office from Bellandur on the Outer Ring Road, citing severe traffic congestion and poor road conditions.

Following BlackBuck’s announcement, industry leaders such as former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai and Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw called for an urgent intervention of the Karnataka government to improve the city’s infrastructure.