Former Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar criticised the Congress on Thursday, calling it the “ultimate humiliation” after Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar was appointed as the head of a panel responsible for Bengaluru’s infrastructure development. Chandrasekhar took aim at the appointment, arguing that the decision reflects poorly on the state government’s priorities.
“Cong(ress) making @DKShivakumar responsible for Bengaluru is the ultimate humiliation for this proud city – and final nail to the hope of a well-governed, planned future for #Bengaluru,” Chandrasekhar said in a tweet. He added that the Congress through its state government or through BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) has governed Bengaluru for almost 20 out of the last 24 years.
Shivakumar, who holds the Bengaluru Development portfolio, came under fire last week over poor infrastructure in the capital city, which witnessed massive flooding in key business areas following a few spells of rains. The city experienced unprecedented rainfall over the past week, breaking records for the last three decades.
Rainfall ranging from 92mm to 157mm has caused severe flooding, affecting multiple tech parks and IT companies. Several companies were forced to ask their employees to work from home as their office premises became waterlogged. This was not the first time Bengaluru had been hit hard by floods. Just two years ago, Belur Ring Road was completely inundated, with water entering tech parks and forcing rescue operations. These recurring issues prompted the government to take action.
The state government formed a committee to resolve infrastructure and traffic issues in and around Bengaluru’s tech parks. The committee, chaired by Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and vice-chaired by IT-BT Minister Priyank Kharge, aims to provide long-term solutions to the flooding and traffic issues plaguing the city’s tech hubs.
After Kharge announced the formation of panel, Mohandas Pai, former chief financial officer at Infosys, asked the minister to ask the civic body to open the mouth of drains, and clear debris on all the roads which saw water collection. “This will solve much of the problem. A massive clean up of city is urgently needed.”
Pai said this committee is very good, but implementation is the issue. He suggested that a war room is required to implement decisions as multiple promises by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar have not been fulfilled.
