Karnataka BJP MLA K Gopalaiah, along with party workers, staged a protest on Wednesday outside Kanteerava Studios in Bengaluru, accusing the Congress government of failing to address the city’s pothole problem.
BJP leader N L Narendra Babu criticised the ruling party, calling Bengaluru a “pothole city.” Speaking to ANI, he said, “Bengaluru was once called a retired man’s paradise, an IT City and a BT City. Today, it has become a pothole city. Who is responsible for this?”
(Also Read: 'BJP responsible for potholes in Bengaluru': DK Shivakumar amid protests over bad roads)
He alleged that civic officials had failed to act despite instructions from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar. “The present government, where recently the CM said potholes should be filled within one month — what were they doing all these days? Even the Deputy CM has warned the officers, but what is happening? The officers are not coming to the streets. Roads and footpaths of Bengaluru are not in order. We have come to the street to protest and fill up the potholes,” Babu said.
{{/usCountry}}He alleged that civic officials had failed to act despite instructions from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar. “The present government, where recently the CM said potholes should be filled within one month — what were they doing all these days? Even the Deputy CM has warned the officers, but what is happening? The officers are not coming to the streets. Roads and footpaths of Bengaluru are not in order. We have come to the street to protest and fill up the potholes,” Babu said.
{{/usCountry}}In response, Deputy CM D K Shivakumar shifted the blame to the previous BJP government, holding it accountable for the state of city roads. Speaking to reporters in Patna, he said, “The BJP will never be happy. All these potholes have come under the BJP regime. They are responsible for the bad administration of the roads in Karnataka.”
The issue comes amid growing criticism from opposition parties and civic groups over poor road maintenance and the proliferation of potholes across Bengaluru.
According to a government release, Shivakumar said the Chief Minister has given officials a deadline to repair all city roads by October 31 and sanctioned an additional ₹750 crore for pothole-filling.
He added that a high-level review meeting was recently held at the CM’s residence, Cauveri, on road improvement and traffic management. “The Chief Minister and I have held a meeting of GBA officials regarding the pothole problem in Bengaluru. With cooperation from our officials, police, and the public, we have identified 10,000 potholes in the city. I have warned officials that strict action will be taken if these are not repaired,” Shivakumar said.