BENGALURU: All work and no play can lead to frayed nerves. Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, who was doing the rounds of the city on Sunday, inspecting various infrastructure works, vented his anger at a BBMP engineer and contractor when he came to know that work on the Kundalahalli underpass has been stalled due to lack of funds for land acquisition.

At the age of 76, Yediyurappa has barely taken one Sunday off ever since he took oath as Chief Minister on July 26. In fact, of the seven Sundays that have passed since then, Yediyurappa has been on his feet on six weekends. He was a  one-man government for a few weeks, with no cabinet ministers being appointed. Then came the floods that wreaked havoc in many parts of the state.

But that’s not stopping him. Now, he has decided to give time to Bengaluru residents, listen to their grievances and also review infrastructure projects once every fortnight. “We must look into the issues affecting the people and get them resolved. Some of the works which have been pending for long need to be completed. Good infrastructure in the city is the main focus. With regular reviews, we can solve many issues,” Yediyurappa said on Sunday.

He also said he chose Sundays as there is relatively lesser traffic. “On weekends, the traffic is usually less, especially on Sundays. This is why I have decided on Sunday visits as it will not affect public movement,” he said. Ministers and other elected representatives accompanying him will travel in Volvo buses and leave their cars behind. Yediyurappa’s working style is much unlike previous Chief Ministers who would often choose to unwind on Sundays. On July 28, two days after he took oath as Chief Minister, Yediyurappa was in his hometown offering prayers to the local deity, but also held meetings with supporters.  

BSY’s 7th working Sunday since taking oath

On August 2, the second Sunday in office, Yediyurappa, apart from meeting citizens and receiving petitions, held meetings with officials of the tourism and culture department. This was before he held a video-conference with Deputy Commissioners to review the flood situation. His third Sunday- August 11- was spent touring flood-affected districts even as he drew flak from the opposition for the delay in inducting ministers.

On August 18, Yediyurappa held meetings at his residence regarding the flood situation in the state and even addressed a press conference on the restoration and rescue operations.His fifth Sunday in office was spent in New Delhi to finalise portfolios for his cabinet. He camped in Delhi on August 25 hoping to avoid the high command’s plan of appointing three deputy Chief ministers.

Despite his resistance, the central leadership had its way. On September 1, the eve of Ganesh Chathurti, Yediyurappa spent his first quiet day at home. His sixth Sunday in office didn’t, for the first time, involve work related to party, government or the state. September 8 was Yediyurappa’s seventh Sunday in office and he chose to spend it on conducting inspections across Bengaluru city. Now that’s some working weekends.