MP Tejasvi Surya urges state govt to find immediate solutions to Bengaluru’s traffic woes
Bengaluru: Bengaluru continues to grapple with severe traffic congestion and mobility challenges, as the number of vehicles on the roads now exceeds the city's population. The situation is exacerbated by narrow roads, fragmented public transport services, and delays in Metro project completions, leading to widespread frustration among residents.
Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya has called for an urgent meeting of elected representatives and traffic experts to address the city’s gridlock issues. In a recent post on 'X', Surya criticized previous governments, including his own party, the BJP, for their lack of vision and leadership in tackling Bengaluru's traffic problems.
Surya highlighted the alarming rate at which private vehicles are being added to the city's roads, far outpacing the capacity of the existing infrastructure. He pointed out that this excessive traffic congestion has made even simple activities, such as walking in residential areas, increasingly difficult. The MP advocated for straightforward solutions, including reducing the number of private vehicles and improving public transport services to make them more accessible and reliable throughout the city.
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He also took aim at the current management of the city’s infrastructure, noting the absence of a qualified traffic engineer in the road wing and the ongoing vacancy for the Managing Director position at Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL). Surya attributed the slow progress of Metro projects and the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA) to these leadership gaps, stressing that the suburban rail network also suffers from a lack of dedicated leadership.
Surya expressed concerns over the commercialization of residential areas, where the unchecked development of malls, pubs, and other commercial establishments has encroached on neighborhoods. He argued that these issues stem from a broader governance failure by all major political parties and emphasized the need for collective responsibility in addressing Bengaluru’s traffic crisis.
In a letter to Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who also holds the Bengaluru Development portfolio, Surya vowed to continue his efforts to push for solutions. He cited his previous agitations for the completion of Metro Phase-3 and other key projects as examples of his commitment to finding meaningful resolutions to the city's traffic woes.
Bengaluru's mobility problems need radical solutions to prevent an absolute systemic collapse.
— Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) August 22, 2024
Will push for implementation of all solutions which can ease traffic congestion & related issues.
Here's the coverage of our proposal to the DCM, GoK.@TOIIndiaNews@NKaggere pic.twitter.com/s28Ozc2G0i
Wrote to DCM @DKShivakumar & urged him to convene a meeting on implementing short & long term solutions on improving Bengaluru's Urban Mobility.
— Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) August 21, 2024
Bengaluru is crying for all of us to rise to the occasion together and this is a test of all of our commitment to the city. https://t.co/kFNH7yTNxG pic.twitter.com/ejBA1kC7ob
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
