‘Pothole-free’: Bengaluru gets Rs 1,100 crore to fix its roads

NEW DELHI: Bengaluru is set to receive a major investment in its road infrastructure, with Rs 1,100 crore allocated for repair and construction works, Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar announced on Sunday. In a post on 'X', Shivakumar said the government was committed to ensuring every constituency would benefit from the funds, adding that the focus was on creating smooth, pothole-free roads across the city. Under the plan, Rs 50 crore has been approved for each of 14 assembly constituencies, while the remaining constituencies will receive Rs 25 crore each. The money will go towards road repairs and the building of new roads.

Persistent problems

Road conditions remain a major concern in Bengaluru. A survey by the Times of India across five city stretches found that deep craters were either cordoned off with temporary barricades or filled with uneven cement that quickly washed away in the rain. Commuters expressed frustration over what they described as “death traps” on the roads. “Nobody wants to drive on pothole-ridden roads,” one said. In Judicial Layout, in south Bengaluru — a neighbourhood home to judges, IAS officers and senior government officials — residents say the situation has become so severe that children have begun writing poems about the state of the roads and sending them to the Prime Minister’s Office. Their appeal: simply to have better roads. Located near Thalaghattapura on Kanakapura Road, Judicial Layout falls under the Bengaluru South city corporation limits. But residents say craters, dust and repeated digging have made daily commutes increasingly hazardous.