CM Siddaramaiah tours across Bengaluru, inspects various works
Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah toured various areas of Bengaluru on Thursday, reviewing road infrastructure and ongoing development projects. He directed BBMP officials to expedite the process of covering potholes across the city.
During a press briefing after his tour, the Chief MInister provided details on the city's road network, which spans approximately 12,878 km. Out of this, 1,344.84 km fall under the arterial and sub-arterial road categories, while the remaining 11,533.16 km belong to zonal roads under BBMP. The CM pointed out that road surfaces in Bengaluru have been damaged due to the installation of BESCOM cables, water supply and drainage pipes, GAIL gas pipes, KPTCL cables, and optical fiber cables.
To address this issue, BBMP has set up a batch mix unit to quickly repair potholes, particularly on arterial and sub-arterial roads. Additionally, Rs 15 lakh has been allocated to each ward for pothole repairs on zonal roads. Siddaramaiah emphasized that the BBMP has also developed a cool asphalt mix unit to tackle potholes even during the rainy season.
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The CM ordered that road damages caused by digging from agencies like BESCOM, KPTCL, and GAIL gas be promptly fixed. He assured that coordination between the Bangalore Water Supply and Internal Drainage Board and other departments has been achieved, regularizing the process of road repairs.
Siddaramaiah highlighted remedial measures, including the introduction of a mobile app called "Raste Gundi Gamana" (Road Potholes Focus) to monitor and ensure timely pothole repairs. Additionally, Rs 1700 crore has been approved for white-topping projects for the 2023-24 period to further curb potholes.
The CM revealed that of the 1,611 km of arterial and sub-arterial roads in the city, 459 km have been damaged. Asphalting of these roads, at a cost of Rs 659.71 crore, will begin in November and is expected to be completed by March.
During his tour, Siddaramaiah inspected several key locations, including the BDA flyover near Hebbal, asphalting work near Kariannanpalya, and metro work at KR Pura railway station. He consulted with officials at each site to ensure smooth progress.
Ministers KJ George, Byrathi Suresh, MLAs BA Basavaraja, Rizwan Arshad, AC Srinivas, and BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath, among others, were present during the inspection.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
