13,000 potholes filled in Bengaluru so far, says Shivakumar; plans Rs 1,100 cr road upgrade
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has said that 13,000 potholes in the city have been filled so far, and his plan was to find a "permanent solution" to Bengaluru's road issues.
He said he has instructed officials to chalk out a Rs 1,100 crore action plan to develop 550 km arterial roads in the city.
Shivakumar, who is also the Minister in-charge of Bengaluru development, on Tuesday inspected pothole repair and road works underway in various parts of the city.
According to officials, about 4,000-5,000 potholes identified will be fixed in stages.
Last week, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah gave 30 days to officials to ensure that all the roads in the city are motorable.
"The officials are following the government's orders and are filling the potholes. In addition, I have instructed them to prepare an action plan worth Rs 1,100 crore for the development of 550 km long arterial roads," Shivakumar said.
Noting that it will take 26 days for concrete work at the junctions of arterial roads, and discussions are being held on traffic control during this period, he said, "My plan is to find a permanent solution to Bengaluru roads. The CM has promised to provide Rs 750 crore for filling the potholes."
"It has been decided to release Rs 1,100 crore for the development of ward-level roads in the constituencies of MLAs. Instructions have been given to them to use this grant only for improving the roads."
Pointing out that 13,000 potholes have been filled so far, the Deputy CM said there is a photo and video along with GPS record for each pothole, and information can be downloaded and rechecked.
"No one had given a call to the public to report potholes. We have developed an app on which the public can report potholes. We are also taking the help of the police to identify potholes. Such an initiative is only available in Karnataka. Potholes are in every city, as Bengaluru is a global city, hence the issue is being highlighted by you (media) too," he said.
Reiterating that potholes are in Delhi too, Shivakumar said he can take a delegation of BJP leaders and show them.
"It (potholes) is there in every city, I don't blame anyone... let BJP come, let's go. Let's also meet the Prime Minister and central ministers, who can give money (for Bengaluru)," he added.
The state government has drawn flak for the poor state of roads in the city.
Several prominent people, including industry veterans in Bengaluru like former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai and Biocon Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw have urged the state government to immediately intervene.
The outrage against the condition of roads gained momentum after 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.
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West Asia: India supplied 22,000 MT of high-speed diesel to Bangladesh in March, says MEA
New Delhi (PTI): Amid the ongoing West Asia conflict, India has supplied 22,000 metric tonnes of high-speed diesel to Bangladesh in March and has received a request from Seychelles and the Maldives to meet their energy requirements, the MEA said on Friday.
At his weekly briefing, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in his response to a query related to requests received from India's neighbouring countries for fuel amid the West Asia situation, also said that India is "finalising a government-to-government agreement" for the supply of oil and gas, which will play an important role in reinforcing energy security of Mauritius.
The conflict in West Asia has now stretched to nearly 50 days, with global ramifications.
"So, we have received requests from our neighbouring countries for supply of fuel, and these are being looked into, keeping in mind our own requirements, availability and refining capacity," Jaiswal told reporters.
He further said India has "supplied 22,000 metric tonnes of high-speed diesel to Bangladesh in March 2026, and further supplies have continued this month as well".
"You would recall that last month we had supplied 38 metric tonnes of petroleum products to Sri Lanka as well," he added.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Mauritius last week, the MEA spokesperson said, adding, "We are finalising a government-to-government agreement for supply of oil and gas, which will play an important role in reinforcing the energy security of Mauritius".
As far as Nepal is concerned, there is an existing arrangement between Indian Oil Corporation and Nepal Oil Corporation to supply petroleum products to Nepal as per its requirements. The supplies are continuing without any interruption, he said.
Energy supplies to Bhutan also continue according to the existing arrangement.
"As I had mentioned earlier, we have received a request from Seychelles and the Maldives to meet their energy requirements. We continue to be in touch with them in this regard, and are considering the request keeping in mind our own domestic requirements and availability of fuel.
"I would also like to add that our neighbouring country governments have expressed appreciation for the uninterrupted supply, fuel supply to them during the West Asian conflict," Jaiswal said.
Global oil and gas prices surged after Iran restricted the transit of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow lane between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman that handles roughly 20 per cent of global oil and LNG trade.
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