Special cell soon at BBMP, BDA to maintain roads, fill up potholes in B'luru city: CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru, May 22: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said that a special cell will be set up in the civic bodies Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) to maintain roads in Bengaluru and fill up potholes immediately.
With the monsoon round the corner, officials have been instructed to fill over 6,000 potholes on the roads of the city, and also repair bad stretches, by the end of this month, he said.
Siddaramaiah, along with Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, and a few ministers and officials, inspected various parts of the city that faces flooding during rains, and also took stock of the preparations made to manage the situation ahead of monsoon showers.
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"According to a census by the Bengaluru city corporation, in ward roads there are 5,500 potholes, and in arterial and sub-arterial roads there are 557 potholes. D K Shivakumar, who is in-charge of Bengaluru Development, and I have instructed the Commissioner and the Administrator (BBMP) to fill up all these potholes by the end of this month," Siddaramaiah said.
While speaking to reporters after the city rounds, he said, "There are some 67 bad reaches in the city, and all of them will be repaired immediately. We have given these instructions to BBMP officers."
"In order to maintain the roads and fill up the potholes as soon as it occurs, instructions have been given to set up a special cell at the BBMP and BDA," he said, adding that officials have also been directed to take all measures to ensure that there is no flooding and water does not enter houses in the city during rains.
Stating that monsoon showers will start from June, Siddaramaiah said, the pre-monsoon showers from May 1 to till now have been above normal, because of which there was flooding in some parts and there are reports of water entering houses in some areas.
Bangalore city has 860 km of storm water drains, he said, adding that when he was the CM earlier, 491 km of it were cleared from encroachments and redeveloped. "The previous (BJP) government took steps to clear 193 km in January 2023 and the work is to be completed in January 2025. If this work had been done earlier, there would have been no problem now," he said.
Rs 1,800 crore is being spent on this storm water drain work, and 174 km is left, Siddaramaiah said, adding that the World Bank will grant about Rs 2,000 crore for the project.
About 12 cases are in civil court regarding the storm water drain project, he said, adding, "Lawyers are attending this to vacate the stays and if necessary, a special lawyer will be appointed for the cases to be settled. For about 12.15 km there are cases pending in court."
The CM said instructions have been given to officials to expedite the delayed works, to take up dredging, cutting of dead branches of trees and to repair pavements immediately.
Directions have also been given to prevent dumping of waste in the storm water drains, and to conduct desilting of storm water drains and drainage pipes before the onset of the monsoon, he added.
Siddaramaiah said that engineers at the city corporation have been warned that they will be made responsible if there are any lapses.
Further noting that Bengaluru has a population of more than one crore, he said, there were 400 lakes in the city and many of them have either been encroached or have silted up now. "So instructions have been given to clear encroachments and desilt these lakes and their catchment areas."
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Waqf Bill anti-secular, will snatch rights of Muslims: Mamata Banerjee
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday described the Waqf (Amendment) Bill as “anti-secular”, claiming that it would snatch the rights of Muslims.
Banerjee, speaking in the assembly, also said the Centre did not consult with states over the matter.
“The bill is anti-federal and anti-secular; it is a deliberate attempt to malign a particular section. It will snatch the rights of Muslims... The Centre did not consult with us on the Waqf Bill,” she said.
The chief minister added that “if any religion was attacked”, she would wholeheartedly condemn it.
Opposition parties have stridently criticised the amendments proposed by the bill in the existing Waqf Act, alleging that they violate the religious rights of Muslims.
The ruling BJP has asserted that the amendments will bring transparency in the functioning of the Waqf boards and make them accountable.
A parliamentary committee has been constituted to scrutinise the contentious bill.
