Karnataka BJP stages protest against poor condition of roads
Bengaluru (PTI): Opposition BJP on Wednesday held protests in various parts of Karnataka, including capital city Bengaluru, targeting the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government over the pothole menace and the poor condition of the roads across the state.
While in Bengaluru, BJP leaders held demonstrations by filling potholes, in various other parts of the state 'rasta roko' (road blockade) protests were held, party sources said.
Protests are being held in almost all assembly segments, they said.
The protest in Bengaluru's Yelahanka was led by MLA S R Vishwanath. Former legislators and leaders staged a demonstration by filling potholes in the party's north Bengaluru region.
The Congress government in the state is facing intense criticism from various sections over the condition of roads in the state, especially those in Bengaluru that are riddled with potholes.
After drawing criticism for the poor state of roads in the city, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has set a one-month deadline for authorities to ensure that all the potholes are fixed and the roads are in good condition.
Several prominent people, including industry veterans in Bengaluru like former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai and Biocon Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw had recently urged the state government to immediately intervene.
The outrage against the condition of roads gained momentum following online trucking platform BlackBuck decided to move the company out of its current location at Bellandur on Bengaluru's Outer Ring Road (ORR), citing commuting and road infrastructure issues.
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday said the pothole issue is there across the country, including the national capital New Delhi and the road that leads to Prime Minister's residence, and projecting in the media as if the issue is there only in Karnataka is not right.
Shivakumar, who is also the minister in charge of Bengaluru development, said that the government has the duty and the responsibility to fix the issue, and it is working on it. "Work is on daily to fill about thousand potholes in each corporation (5 corporations in Bengaluru)," he said.
He also hit out at the BJP for not maintaining the roads while in power and raising the issue now, keeping civic body polls in mind.
Earlier, the Deputy CM had said that the city is set for a major push in road development with Rs 1,100 crore allocated for repair and construction.
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Hyderabad–B’luru, Chennai-B’luru among seven high-speed rail corridors announced in budget
New Delhi: India will expand its high-speed rail network with seven new corridors as part of efforts to promote faster and environmentally sustainable passenger transport, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced while presenting the Union Budget 2026 in Parliament on Sunday.
Outlining the government’s infrastructure plans, Sitharaman said the proposed high-speed rail corridors are aimed at improving connectivity between major economic and cultural centres, while also helping reduce the carbon footprint of long-distance travel.
“The government proposes to develop environmentally sustainable passenger transport systems through seven high-speed rail corridors,” the finance minister said in her Budget speech.
According to the announcement, the identified routes include Mumbai–Pune, Hyderabad–Bengaluru, Delhi–Varanasi, Varanasi–Siliguri, Pune–Hyderabad, Hyderabad–Chennai and Chennai–Bengaluru. These corridors are expected to link key metropolitan cities with fast-growing urban and industrial hubs.
