BENGALURU: The Karnataka cabinet on Thursday set aside Rs 2,296 crore to implement various development works in Bengaluru, including asphalting of arterial, sub-arterial, and major roads in all 28 Assembly constituencies in the city.
This comes at a time when residents and industrialists are criticising the government over the city’s crumbling infrastructure, like pothole-ridden roads and traffic menace.
The government seems to have taken this criticism as a wake-up call, keeping in view the polls to the five city corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) expected to take place in February/March of 2026.
The cabinet approved an action plan of the Urban Development Department for Rs 1,241.57 crore under the capital investment supporting the Special Infrastructure Project (SIP) to take up asphalting of arterial, sub-arterial, and major roads in all 28 Assembly constituencies.
The proposal noted that the roads within the GBA are in a dilapidated condition and are the subject of widespread and continuous public criticism. “Urgent development will result in ease of traffic congestion and help realise the Brand Bengaluru concept to attract investment, create employment opportunities, and help existing businesses establish themselves,” the proposal added.
Additionally, the cabinet has approved an action plan for Rs 1,055 crore under the Chief Minister’s Infrastructure Development Programme (CMIDP) following the proposal of the MLAs to implement works such as the development of roads, drains, footpaths, government offices, and community halls in every Assembly constituency.
It may be recalled that Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw had lashed out at Bengaluru’s infrastructure, quoting a Chinese business visitor’s remarks on bad roads and garbage.
Recently, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who also holds the Bengaluru development portfolio, held talks with Shaw and former Infosys CFO TV Mohandas Pai and claimed to have taken their suggestions promptly to fix the infrastructure issues plaguing the country’s IT capital.
