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As heavy rain batters Bengaluru, KTR calls for ‘bold reforms’ in urban planning : 'Urge minister Hardeep Puri to...'
Today no Indian city is immune to the ‘disastrous consequences’ of climate change, the Telangana IT minister said.
As heavy rain brought Bengaluru to a standstill on Monday, Telangana minister KT Rama Rao – who has frequently claimed that his state's capital city, Hyderabad, is superior to its fellow IT hub and the Karnataka capital – proposed ‘bold reforms’ in urban planning and governance, urging Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri to 'come up with a plan'.
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“To all those who are mocking the water-logged Bengaluru: Our cities are our primary economic engines driving the States'/Country's growth. With rapid urbanisation & sub-urbanisation, infrastructure is bound to crumble as we haven’t infused enough capital into upgrading the same,” the Telangana IT minister, also known by his initials KTR, said in the first of a four-tweet thread.
Also Read | Heavy rain in Bengaluru wreaks havoc as vehicles float on inundated roads
Today no Indian city (including Hyderabad) is immune to the ‘disastrous consequences’ of climate change, the TRS leader further said, adding that the country needs a 'concerted capital allocations of Union and state governments combined into radical improvement in infrastructure."
KTR, the son of Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, then urged Puri, the Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, to plan capital infusion, offering his help for a potential project.
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“I am aware that some of friends in Hyderabad will not like what I said. Because in the past, we were taunted by some Bengaluru leaders in similar situations. But if we have to grow as a nation, we need to learn from each others’ experiences & show the might of collective will,” the 46-year-old leader concluded.
Bengaluru inundated
On the first day of the week, the metropolis was inundated due to heavy rainfall. In localities such as Marathahalli, Outer Ring Road (ORR) and other places, vehicles were seen floating, while residents had to find a way out for themselves. Traffic authorities posted advisories on social media to apprise commuters about the situation.
