Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday warned officials of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) of stern action if they don’t improve the city’s civic amenities and complete the various infrastructure projects.
“I told the BBMP administration to take up cleaning the filth on a war-footing, clear garbage dumps piling up in almost every ward, fill pot holes, check storm water drainage and repair damaged footpaths to improver the city’s image,” Siddaramaiah told reporters after going through the city and inspecting civic works in progress.
In view of the ensuing monsoon and civic body elections in 198 wards across the extended city in July, as directed by the Supreme Court on May 5, the chief minister has decided to make surprise visits and inspect civic works for their timely execution.
“No official, however big or small, will be spared from action if they neglect duty to maintain the city of 10 million people, affected by civic woes and inadequate infrastructure facilities. They must not keep any project pending for want of clearances or funds, as both are made available,” he said.
The BBMP was expanded in 2007 by including seven city municipal councils and one town municipal council and 111 surrounding villages to increase civic wards to 198 from 100.
The ruling Congress not only superceded the civic body on April 18, four days before its five-year term was to lapse on April 22, but also passed an amendment bill to the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act 2015 in the state legislative assembly on April 20 to trifurcate the civic behemoth for managing the city.
The bill has been referred to a select committee of the state legislative council.
During his whirlwind tour of the city, Siddaramaiah visited state-run Bowring Hospital in Shivajinagar, inspected road and pavement works on St Mark’s Road in the central business district, Okalipuram area near the main railway station and metro project on Mysuru road in south-west suburb.
The chief minister’s trip across the city with Home Minister K.J. George and city in-charge minister Ramalinga Reddy with dozen officials in an entourage led to traffic snarls, as their convoy blocked vehicular movement on a working day and caused hardship to thousands of commuters.