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Karnataka AAP stages protest against civic ‘apathy’, corruption
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has now started to fill potholes after at least three people died over the last couple of months.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Karnataka on Wednesday held a protest against the poor quality of infrastructure in Bengaluru, decorating potholes with flowers and offerings, terming the event “Pothole Habba” or festival of potholes.
“We are not standing in front of a pothole but a monument of the state’s corruption,” Prithvi Reddy, the party’s state convenor said on Wednesday.
“The state government has spent ₹20,000 crore in the last five years on repairing roads in Bangalore. But the roads here are in a pathetic condition, accidents and deaths are common tragedy due to potholes,” he added.
The protest comes even as lives are lost due to the poor condition or civic infrastructure in Bengaluru which is among the lowest quality in the country, political parties have alleged.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has now started to fill potholes after at least three people died over the last couple of months.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), there have been 18 deaths in Bengaluru due to civic apathy, which is several times more than all other major urban centres of the country put together.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been in control of the BBMP since 2010. However, there has been no elected councillors in the BBMP for over a year now. The recent heavy rains in Bengaluru continues to expose the shortcomings of the infrastructure in the city with flooding, potholes, overflowing lakes and building collapses which the civic authorities have conveniently blamed on the downpour and shirked responsibility.
Karnataka chief minister Basvaraj Bommai, in the recently concluded monsoon session of the state legislature had said that over ₹20,000 crore was spent on roads in the last five years, sparking off a debate around where the money was actually used or if it was all gobbled up by corrupt politicians.
Reddy demanded that a ‘White paper’ be furnished to account for the ₹20,000 crore spent in the city and the officials who were incharge of these projects.
“These poor quality of works could have not happened without the active support or blessings of local MLA or corporator. The role of all such persons must be investigated,” Reddy added.
The BBMP elections are likely to be held early next year and the AAP is preparing ground to contest the polls.
Reddy said that if the demands of the AAP are not met within 15 days, the party will approach the courts.
“The central and state governments are playing with the life of (the) common man by increasing fuel and gas prices,” Mohan Dasari, the Bengaluru city president of the political outfit said on Wednesday.
