CM Bommai goes on city rounds for review

Former CM S.M. Krishna had advised CM Bommai to address the woes of Bengaluru on priority as its image had taken a beating at the international level with the opposition posting pictures of the crumbling infrastructure in the capital. Subsequently, instructions came from Delhi not to neglect Bengaluru Urban & Rural

Shyam Sundar Vattam | NT

Bengaluru: Having realised the impor - tance of Bengaluru City and Bengaluru Urban ahead of the crucial Assembly polls, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has set out on a ‘City tour’ to review the progress of several ongoing projects in the state capital.

After completing one round of the state tour in the name of ‘Jan Sankalp yatra’, the CM now seems to have decided to give his time to Bengaluru City which is facing problems of basic infrastructure for the last many years.

The Bommai government came under heavy criticism last year when unprecedented rains marooned several residential areas in two or three Assembly segments due to the encroachment of Rajakaluves. This issue was used to the hilt by the Opposition Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) to lambast the BJP government for turning a blind eye to the lack of infrastructure in the city with a 1.25 crore population.

Residents using rubber boats to come out of their flooded houses and traveling in tractors to the main roads to reach offices was used by the Congress Party on social media to tell the world about the failure of the Bommai government to improve infrastructure in Silicon Valley of India. The pothole-related deaths further dented the image of the BJP Government with opposition parties also accusing ministers of getting 40 percent commission and carrying out sub-standard works.

Former CM S.M. Krishna had even advised CM Bommai to address the woes of Bengaluru on priority as its image had taken a severe beating at the international level with the opposition posting pictures of the crumbling infrastructure in the state capital.

Subsequently, instructions came from Delhi leaders not to neglect Bengaluru Urban & Rural as they have 28 constituencies and the BJP will have to win at least 50 percent of seats if it wants to come back to power. Bommai has now gone on city rounds to dedicate to people a few flyovers, underpasses, signal-free corridors, and other infra projects to woo city voters.

The government has been blasted by the High Court on various issues much to the embarrassment of BJP leaders. But the government’s assurance o removal of encroachments on Rajakaluves had been pending.

A BJP leader opined that nearly 50 percent of the woes of Bengaluru could have been sorted out had the government appointed a dedicated minister for Bengaluru City