BENGALURU: Citizens from various parts of Bengaluru joined hands with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday to stage a protest with a difference -- Pothole Habba. They decorated potholes with rangoli and flowers, and offered puja to them. They also raised slogans against the government and BBMP for poor road conditions.
AAP state convener Prithvi Reddy said the state government has spent Rs 20,000 crore in the past five years on repairing roads in Bengaluru, yet they are in a pathetic condition. Accidents and deaths have become common due to potholes, he said, and demanded that the government give an account of the money spent, and furnish a white paper on which roads the money was spent on, how much was spent on each road and for what works, who was the official who was awarded the works and contractor who carried it out, and what was the guarantee or warranty provided on each of these roads.
The protesters also demanded that the government immediately conduct a court-monitored probe regarding all these works. Poor quality of work could not have happened without the active support or blessings of the local MLA or corporator. The role of all such persons must be investigated, they said.
Reddy said the deadline set by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai will end soon, and AAP will approach court to demand justice. Protests were held at Vijayanagar, Chamarajpet, Chikpet, Gandhinagar, Yelahanka, Bommanahalli, Malleswaram, Pulakeshinagar and Mahadevapura.