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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Man thrown 50 ft into air as powerful storm lashes UP's Bareilly
Bareilly (PTI): In a shocking incident, a man was flung nearly 50 ft into the air along with a tin roof and thrown into a field during a powerful storm in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly district, where the adverse weather claimed at least four lives.
The man in the video, Nanhe Mian of Bamiyana village, suffered multiple injuries in the incident that occurred on Wednesday.
In a video of the incident doing the rounds on social media, the man is seen being launched into the air while he is holding onto the tin roof. He then lets go, does a somersault in the air and lands in the adjacent field.
Initially, some social media users expressed disbelief over the video and suspected that it was generated using artificial intelligence. But for Nanhe, an e-rickshaw driver, it is all too real.
Nanhe, around 50 years old, said on Thursday that he had gone to a wedding hall to collect some items when the storm intensified.
"The wind was so strong that the tin shed started making loud noises. I thought if I did not hold onto it, it would be blown away in the storm. So, I immediately grabbed a rope tied to the shed," he said.
"Then a very strong gust came and lifted both the shed and me into the air. I was carried nearly 50 ft into the air before the storm weakened and I fell to the ground," he said.
Nanhe, who lives with his wife and their five children, said he suffered injuries on his head, back, arms and legs. These include a fractured arm and leg.
Bareilly Police said in a statement that Nahne was standing inside the wedding hall in Bamiyana when strong winds and rain tore the tin roof of the structure.
According to the Uttar Pradesh government, at least 89 people were killed and around 50 injured in storm and rain-related incidents across the state on Wednesday.
Several animals were also killed and houses and shops were damaged in many places.
In Bareilly, four people were killed between 8.30 am and 11.30 pm on Wednesday, nine animals perished and around 30 houses suffered heavy damage, officials said.
Meet Nanhe Miyan of Bareilly, UP.
— Treeni (@treeni) May 13, 2026
During a severe storm at a wedding venue, he was lifted into the air along with a tin shed he was holding onto.
He flew high before crashing to the ground, breaking both arms and legs. Now hospitalised.pic.twitter.com/D616Z5X23L
