Sigh! More promises

Sigh! More promises
The Times of India

Within the next 15 months, nearly 1,175 km of roads will be spruced up by the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP). By and large, the works — in the final stages of tendering — will begin before March 31.

So announced chief minister H D Kumaraswamy after a meeting on Wednesday to review the progress of projects carried out by the urban development and housing departments. By March first week, he will go on his first city inspection at night.

Speaking about the status of road projects, BMP commissioner K Jothiramalingam said work has begun on 19 roads after the first review meeting on February 6. Currently, the BMP is implementing three road projects — arterial and sub-arterial road upgradation, World Bank-funded Karnataka Municipal Reforms Project (KMRP) and IT-BT roads. Under the arterial and sub-arterial road development project, 1,000 km of roads will be taken up at a cost of Rs 500 crore. Work will commence before March-end, he outlined.

Techies pulled up: CM Kumaraswamy did not mince words while attacking IT-BT professionals for building houses in revenue lands and flouting norms in the process.

His attention was, in fact, drawn towards the increasing number of private vehicles being used by IT-BT employees for commuting to their workplace. But the CM immediately shot back: “Forget the vehicles. If you look at the houses these IT-BT professionals live in, we cannot sleep. They have built houses in revenue lands flouting all norms, without necessary sanctions from the authorities. Do you know why the city was flooded so badly? Because the nalas were encroached upon by them.’’