CM Bommai assures time-bound completion of stormwater drain work in Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Sep 13: In the backdrop of recent rains and deluge in Bengaluru, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday assured the government will ensure a time-bound completion of the stormwater drain work that is underway across the city and provide more funds for this purpose.
Speaking in the Legislative Assembly, he highlighted that the ongoing work of clearing encroachments along the stormwater drains was taking time and the government is at it.
Also, the master plan for stormwater drains is being redrawn to increase its capacity, he said.
"Work on developing stormwater drains across the city is underway and the work will continue without any break. I have kept Rs 1,500 crore in the budget for this and recently I have given another Rs 300 crore, so it is a total of Rs 1,800 crore for stormwater drains. This will not be enough and an additional budget will be given," Bommai said.
He said the government will ensure that a total 859.90 kilometres of stormwater drain work gets completed. "It may take two years, but we will provide a 'continuous' budget for it and complete the work."
"There is already a master plan for stormwater drains, it needs to be improved further and redrawn with things like increasing carrying capacity, developing secondary and tertiary drains among other things. I will give order for time-bound completion of the remaining stormwater drain work," he said, adding that orders have also been given to install sluice gates to all 160-odd lakes.
The Chief Minister was responding to a question by Congress MLA Krishna Byre Gowda during the question hour regarding stormwater drains in Bengaluru in the backdrop of recent torrential rains and flooding which resulted in inconvenience to citizens and damage to properties.
There are 633 stormwater drains in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike limits, with a total length of 859.90 km, and out of this, 490 km have been completed. The work on the remaining extent (including size-stone masonry and missing bits) is under development.
Stating that the recent rains had led to one of the worst situations in a couple of zones like Mahadevapura, Bommai said, "Eighty per cent of Bengaluru's water flows there, Mahadevapura alone has 69 lakes and all of them are overflowing."
"So, we will take up the work on war-footing and will give more funds to it in the next budget too," he added.
Responding to a question by the Congress MLA on the delay in stormwater drain work while their party government had completed the work on half the stretch during its five-year tenure, the Chief Minister said the work has been happening for the last 20 years and the recent heavy rains have made everyone realise the importance of drainage networks.
"I have given Rs 1,500 crore for the work, tender is done, but there are lots of encroachments and they need to be cleared first, this is the situation across Bengaluru," he lamented.
Noting that there had never been such widespread and continuous rains in the city so far like it happened earlier this month, Bommai pointed out that there is also a mismatch in the capacity of the stormwater drains and the amount of water that flows during heavy rains leading to them overflowing.
"Time is required for development of stormwater drains, many of them sanctioned during Congress government's tenure is being completed now as encroachments need to be removed first, but I want to assure one thing that wherever there are encroachments and there is immediate need and it is crucial, work is being taken up there on priority," he added.
Krishna Byre Gowda asked the Chief Minister to specify as to when the remaining stretch of the stormwater drain will be developed as it will solve 80 per cent of the flooding issues in Bengaluru.
BJP MLA Arvind Limbavali from Mahadevapura, the constituency that was badly hit by recent rains and floods, said the government should not stop the work on removing of encroachments and the opposition should also support it.
Sluice gates should be installed in all lakes of Bengaluru to manage water there, Limbavali said.
He also pointed out that most of the buildings on the outskirts of Bengaluru don't have rain water harvesting system.
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Karnataka: GBA city corporation polls likely between June 14 and 24
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka State Election Commissioner G S Sangreshi on Friday said elections to the five city corporations under the GBA will be held anytime between June 14 and June 24.
He said the exact date for the polls will be announced after a week, asserting that the power to postpone the elections, as requested by GBA authorities, lies with the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court had directed the Karnataka government and the State Election Commission to conduct Bengaluru local body elections by June 30.
On Friday, the SEC held a consultation meeting with the GBA Chief Commissioner and commissioners of the five city corporations regarding the election schedule, as per the provisions of the GBA Act.
“During the meeting, I informed GBA officials that only the election date has to be fixed, as all other measures and formalities for conducting the polls have already been completed,” Sangreshi said.
“They requested the Commission to consider factors such as rains, exams, census work, SIR, and manpower shortages while fixing the date and sought additional time,” he added.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, he said, “I told them this meeting was not for seeking time. Elections to the five corporations under the GBA must be held before June 30, as directed by the Supreme Court, and a compliance report must be submitted to the court. I do not have the power to postpone the elections as requested.”
The Supreme Court has already given a “final opportunity,” and both the SEC and the government must comply with its directions, the State Election Commissioner said.
He asked GBA officials to suggest suitable dates between June 14 and June 24.
“While stating that they are ready for elections, the officials highlighted operational challenges, including manpower shortages. However, I have informed them that the elections will have to be held between June 14 and June 24. After a week, I will announce the final date,” he said.
Reiterating that he does not have the power to postpone the elections, Sangreshi said the authority rests with the Supreme Court, and elections must be conducted as scheduled.
“We have consulted the GBA as per the rules. It is up to them to suggest a date within the given window. If they need more time, they must approach the court. Our responsibility is to fix the date and complete the polls before June 30,” he said.
The matter regarding manpower and other concerns raised by GBA officials is already before the Supreme Court, and the State Election Commission has also filed a petition in this regard. The case is yet to be heard.
“Since the matter has not come up for hearing, the earlier order remains binding. Therefore, preparations are underway,” he added.
The tenure of the previous elected body under the erstwhile Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) ended on September 10, 2020, and since then, a government-appointed administrator has been managing its day-to-day affairs.
Bengaluru was divided into five municipal corporations—Central, East, West, North, and South—under the Greater Bengaluru Authority in September 2025, replacing the BBMP.
Sangreshi had earlier said that elections to the five corporations would be conducted using ballot papers instead of Electronic Voting Machines.
This follows the Congress government’s decision last September to recommend the use of ballot papers in all future panchayat and urban local body elections, citing concerns over declining public confidence in EVMs.
The state government subsequently enacted the Karnataka Gram Swaraj and Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Act, 2026, paving the way for the use of ballot papers in local body elections.
