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Bengaluru, Oct 31 (IANS) Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has refused to comment on the deadline set for filling potholes in Bengaluru, which will end at midnight on Friday, saying it is for Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who also holds the Bengaluru Development portfolio, to answer.
CM Siddaramaiah gave the statement at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru on Friday. When reporters asked him about the missed deadline for repairing the pothole, he replied, “Please ask DK Shivakumar,” and walked away. CM Siddaramaiah’s reaction amid the infighting in the ruling Congress party has intensified speculations and discussions in the political circles of the state.
It may be noted that earlier, the Chief Minister had directed officials to fill all potholes in Bengaluru within a week, reiterating an earlier order that had set October 31 as the deadline for completing road repairs within the city’s corporation limits. The directive came after a fatal accident on October 24 that claimed the life of a 26-year-old banker – the second pothole-related death in less than a month.
Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar had said that more than 10,000 potholes have been filled so far in Bengaluru. He also referred to an affidavit filed by the previous BJP government led by former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai, which mentioned that there were around 20,000 potholes in the city.
Shivakumar further said that the authorities have given the public and the traffic police a chance to identify and report additional potholes, claiming that the government is working transparently.
IT industry stalwarts in Bengaluru, including Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and former Infosys chief financial officer (CFO) Mohandas Pai, have criticized the Congress-led Karnataka government over the city’s poor road infrastructure and expressed concern that industries are relocating to other states.
However, Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar said that IT companies cannot blackmail the government. Ministers MB Patil and Priyank Kharge also hit out at Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, saying she raised her voice only in Karnataka and if she had made similar comments in BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh or Maharashtra, she would have faced serious backlash.
–IANS
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