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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Patna-bound IndiGo flight makes emergency landing at Lucknow due to bad weather
Lucknow (PTI): Adverse weather forced an IndiGo Kolkata-Patna flight to make an emergency landing at Lucknow airport on Friday, airport sources said.
According to airport officials, weather conditions in Patna deteriorated suddenly on Friday afternoon, affecting flight operations.
IndiGo flight 6E 6917 from Kolkata, which was scheduled to land in Patna at 3.50 pm, could not land due to bad weather and kept circling in the air after failing to get clearance from air traffic control, they said.
The flight was later diverted to Lucknow and landed safely at the Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport at around 5.15 pm. There were 180 passengers and six crew members on board, officials said.
The aircraft was later allowed to depart for Patna after weather conditions improved.
