BENGALURU: Transport minister Ramalinga Reddy on Friday held the previous BJP government responsible for the pothole muddle on Bengaluru roads. He said the previous government did not lay roads well and failed in ensuring proper maintenance.
“Justice HN Nagamohan Das Commission has recommended action against officers responsible for the maintenance of roads. It is up to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar to take a call on it. The filling of potholes is a routine process and apparently the blame comes on the ruling government,” the minister said.
“In the past, 17 people died due to accidents related to potholes. We had criticised the BJP government then as there were lakhs of potholes. The high court was monitoring the situation for two years and the then BBMP commissioner Tushar Girinath was being summoned every month. During our tenure there has been no such a situation. The court is not monitoring us. The CM and DCM have said that the engineers of the respective wards are responsible and action will be taken against them,” he said.
Meanwhile, BJP state president BY Vijayendra said the number of potholes has increased during the Congress regime. LoP in Assembly, R Ashoka, and his counterpart in Legislative Council, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, led the BJP workers, in an apparent dig at the DCM, by filling the potholes near his residence. The DCM had said that there were potholes even on the road leading to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence.
On VHP’s petition to Governor appealing to free temples from the Religious Endowments Department, Reddy said let Prime Minister Narendra Modi bring a uniform law for the country. “In the past, there was no Religious Endowments Department as there were hereditary temples. Then, due to feud among the heirs, the Muzrai Department was started during the British period”, he said.
On Shakti Guarantee Scheme he said that the government has a due of Rs 3,000 crore. But the government has given Rs 2,000 crore to transport corporations and Rs 800 crore in addition to buy new buses, he added.