Amid many controversies, the Congress government has completed two years in Karnataka. While the Opposition is slamming the government for alleged scams, lack of development works and splitting Bengaluru, veteran Congress leader and Minister for Transport and Endowment Ramalinga Reddy, in a conversation with the editorial team of the TNIE, speaks about various issues, including the government’s achievements, new initiatives, mobility, the rains and Bengaluru floods. He also spoke about the cabinet reshuffle and change of guard. Excerpts.
You are a prominent minister, who knows Bengaluru well. Why does the city flood everytime it rains?
In the beginning, Bengaluru had only 150 villages and 110 villages were added. Almost every village had a lake, but they made way for development. For instance, Dharmambudhi lake made way for Majestic Bus Stand. Stormwater drains (SWD) are encroached upon and hundreds of homes are built over them.
Clearing all the encroachments is practically not possible. So when it rains heavily, even 90mm of rain in a span of one hour, it floods over 100 spots in the city. When SM Krishna was CM and in Siddaramaiah’s previous regime, the SWD network was built with retaining walls. Now we are regularly desilting the drains too. However, the governments that came in between didn’t focus on building the SWD network.
What about encroachment of drains?
Every time Bengaluru floods, the issue of encroachment clearance is discussed. I have been an MLA since 1989, SWDs were encroached much before that. If the encroachments have to be cleared, hundreds of homes have to be demolished, which is practically not possible. In core areas wherever there is scope, SWDs have to be widened. In 110 villages, we have enough space and the widening should be mandatorily done to ensure free flow of rainwater.
Will Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) address the garbage, potholes and rain issues?
When I was a corporator in the early 80s, the population of the city was around 20 lakh. Farmers would pay to buy the city’s garbage, which was mostly cow dung and grass. Now waste generated mainly contains plastic. There is no coordination between various civic agencies in Bengaluru. There should be a tight grip on the administration.
One commissioner cannot visit or monitor all wards. To address these issues, we have formed GBA. In my opinion, it will be good if three corporations are created in the GBA, though it can be extended up to seven. Funds can be allocated equally among smaller corporations.
Come September, it will be five years without a council in Bengaluru. Won’t it burden the MLAs?
MLAs are definitely burdened. MLAs are the policy makers, but now we are doing the job of the corporator also. Corporators would attend to issues like garbage, pavements and streetlights on a day-to-day basis, irrespective of parties.
When will elections for GBA be held?
In all probability, elections will be conducted by the end of this year.
What do you have to say about the allegation of the Council not having power under Greater Bengaluru Authority?
If there were any issues with the 74th Amendment, the Governor would not have given his assent. The BJP could have gone to court and challenged, all that did not happen. There is no overriding of the 74th Amendment and it will not undermine the powers of elected corporators. We have formed GBA under the 74th Amendment framework.
What are the plans to improve public transport?
Public transport has to be improved. We have around 6,500 buses. We require 10,000 buses for the city’s population for last-mile connectivity. Nearly 40 lakh people use BMTC buses every day, whereas only 8 lakh people travel in the Metro. The priority given to Metro is not given to BMTC, because poor people travel in this.
Is a tunnel road necessary for Bengaluru, considering the costs, traffic congestion, and long-term urban growth?
Yes, a tunnel road is becoming increasingly necessary for Bengaluru. While tunnels may seem costly, countries like Switzerland have built extensive tunnel networks through rocky terrain. Bengaluru’s population, currently 1.4 crore, is expected to reach 2 crore in the next decade, making land acquisition for surface roads expensive. Underground roads are a more sustainable option. With vehicle numbers matching the population, tunnel roads can greatly reduce congestion and enhance mobility, offering a long-term solution for the city’s growing infrastructure demands.
What steps is the Transport department taking on auto fare revision, RTO enforcement, and the bike-taxi ban in Karnataka?
Auto fares haven’t been updated for years. A Deputy Commissioners’ committee is now reviewing costs and is expected to announce a revised minimum fare shortly. On bike taxis, the High Court ruled that privately owned two-wheelers should not be commercialised and ordered a ban to take effect within six weeks and has extended it for another six weeks, after which they will be prohibited.
Encroachment of endowment properties has been reported. What action was taken to clear it?
Before the Land Reforms Act, temple authorities owned land, some up to 800 acres. But the Act transferred ownership to tillers, leading to major land loss. After which we began offering ‘Tasthikarana’. In a review meeting, we found 36,000 acres still remain with temples, but only 3,500 acres were properly documented. Under the guidance of Principal Secretary Rajendra Kumar Kataria, officers were directed to correct records. So far, 15,000 acres have been allotted to respective temples. Documentation for the remaining 20,000 acres is under way and will be completed in a year.
We have Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies named Bangalore South. Don’t you think renaming Ramanagara to Bengaluru South will create confusion?
The existing 28 assembly constituencies of Bengaluru district, four assembly constituencies from Bengaluru Rural and four constituencies from Ramanagara district were together called Bengaluru district earlier. Ramakrishna Hegde divided it into Bengaluru Urban and Bengaluru Rural districts. During HD Kumaraswamy’s regime in 2007, Bengaluru Rural district was further divided into Bengaluru Rural and Ramanagara districts. Ramanagara was Bengaluru district earlier, now DK Shivakumar is keen to rename it Bengaluru South as people are showing interest. Opposition is accusing us of renaming it as it would help real estate, but they are not using common sense. In Uttar Pradesh, they changed the names of many cities. Was this done for the real estate mafia? We will have Greater Bengaluru, Bengaluru South, Bengaluru Rural and nothing more.
What do you have to say about the allegation of unavailability of funds for development works due to the guarantee schemes?
Guarantee scheme funds are reaching people directly. The development work has not been stopped. But the amount given for development works might have reduced slightly. We introduced Guarantee schemes because there is a price hike on many commodities. Opposition party members are criticising our schemes right from the beginning. The BJP government, in four years, had a new loan of Rs 2.7 lakh crore. Other than this, Rs 2 lakh crore work was taken up without allocating funds. This is on us now. In spite of these, what development work have they done? We have to increase prices, including BMTC ticket fare, as it was not done for the last 11 years, NERTC and NWKRTC revised ticket fares in 2020. Cost of diesel and the increase in salaries of our employees has increased. This burden is on us and we had to increase ticket fare with no other option. Why do BJP leaders here not talk about price hikes by the Modi government?
Will there be any cabinet reshuffle or change in guard in the state?
Cabinet reshuffle may happen in November 2025. There are a few senior MLAs who are aspirants. However, there will be no change of Chief Minister’s post and Siddaramaiah will continue for five years. However, it all depends on the party high command’s decision.
What difference do you see between Siddaramaiah government 1.0 and Siddaramaiah government 2.0?
Siddaramaiah is a good administrator. We won polls with full majority and we have 136 MLAs now. There is no fear of destabilising the government. We had assured to deliver Guarantee schemes and we did it. But our own leaders’ unwanted talks on public platforms is causing damage to the government. Some leaders said Siddaramaiah will be CM for five years and some said DK Shivakumar will be CM.
A few leaders were offering to resign over KPCC posts and aired comments in public, all this was not necessary. There is high command to look into it and take decisions at appropriate times. Recently, there were comments on the honey trapping case by the minister in the house, this was not necessary. All these developments gave enough fodder for opposition parties. All these comments dented the party’s image and CM’s too.
What do you have to say about Opposition party members’ claim on celebrating Sadhana Samaavesha, when there are no development works taken up by the government?
BJP was in power between 2008 to 2013, what did they do? Three times the CMs were changed. There was corruption and mining scams. The sitting CM went to jail. They did not do anything. They were in power for four years again, there were two CMs. There was dissidence. The High Court had to monitor pothole filling. BJP turned Garden City into a Garbage City between 2012 to 2013. They kept a liability of Rs 8,000 crore in 2013. Again in 2023, huge loans they borrowed were passed on to us. Since they did not perform, they do not understand what achievements mean and hence point fingers at Congress and ask what achievement has the government done.
Other than the Guarantee schemes, what are the achievements of the Congress government?
The achievements are not limits to Guarantee schemes. The CM and DCM are touring many districts for the foundation stone groundbreaking ceremonies and the inauguration of various projects.
What do you have to say about friction between Kannadiagas and non-Kannadigas, especially in Bengaluru?
People across India have come to Karnataka and are residing. There are lakhs of people from North East, West Bengal, Bihar, Rajasthan and other places. Both skilled and labour classes are here. They have come to our state and they should respect the local language and adjust with us.
What is your message to non-Kannadigas?
This is a free country, people can reside anywhere. You have come here, learn the language. If you respect Kannada, it will make your daily life easier and better. You can also do good business if you know the local language.