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‘Potholes are natural after rain’: Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara defends Bengaluru roads
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara called potholes in Bengaluru a natural phenomenon after heavy rains, defending the government's infrastructure.
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Saturday described potholes on Bengaluru’s roads as a “natural phenomenon” after heavy rains and said that constant criticism of the government over the city’s infrastructure was “unfair.”
Responding to recent complaints from IT companies about Bengaluru’s deteriorating infrastructure, Parameshwara argued that the city remains a strong investment destination, Deccan Herald reported.
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“Already, ₹3–4 lakh crore is being invested. Is it not a good place? Is it not a good ecosystem for industries?” he said, citing the success of the Global Investors’ Meet (GIM) held in February, where Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) worth ₹10.22 lakh crore were signed.
Speaking at Vidhana Soudha during the flag-off of 50 new 350cc Honda bikes worth ₹1.30 crore for the Bengaluru Traffic Police’s Quick Response Team (QRT), the minister said Bengaluru’s traffic management was “better than Mumbai, Kolkata or Delhi,” the report further added.
He said the new fleet of bikes, gifted by the Honda India Foundation, would boost police response capability. “These bikes are so good that I felt like riding one myself. Maybe, I will, in the coming days,” he joked.
Parameshwara added that the government was investing in systems to reduce response times, pointing to a new ₹26-crore command centre. “When I visited the London Metropolitan Command Centre, their response time was five to seven minutes. We’re aiming for the same here,” he said.
Acknowledging the scale of Bengaluru’s traffic challenge, the minister noted that the city has “more than 70 lakh two-wheelers,” making regulation particularly difficult.
Parameshwara’s comments came amid widespread outrage over Bengaluru’s crumbling infrastructure, following sharp criticism from industry leaders such as Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw.
She and several IT executives had recently voiced concern over poor road conditions and traffic chaos, warning that it was hurting the city’s global reputation. Social media users, too, lashed out at the minister’s remarks, accusing the government of downplaying citizens’ hardships while tech companies struggle with mounting commute delays and frequent pothole-related accidents.
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