PM visit: ‘Festival clean-up’ for Bengaluru

BENGALURU: Ahead of PM Narendra Modi’s visit, BBMP workers are toiling day and night to fill up potholes, fix footpaths and relay roads. While Bengalureans are delighted that roads are being repaired, they also took to social media to point out that it took a visit by the PM to get city roads tarred.

Netizens also listed out roads which need to be repaired, and tagged the PM on Twitter, asking him to visit their areas, so BBMP would fix the roads too. Some even suggested the best eateries in town, and also open spaces he could visit.

BBMP has started relaying roads along Old Airport Road, in Yeshwanthpur, especially around the IISc campus, roads leading to Mysuru Road and Outer Ring Road. To ensure that traffic jams are limited, lanes leading to arterial roads are also being tarred.

Thimmanna, a resident of Yeshwanthpur, said: “We have been struggling for many years for roads to be laid after the BWSSB completed laying pipes. Now, as the main road connecting to IISc has been relaid, roads in the locality have also been done. We are thankful to the PM for this.”

Reacting to the issue, a senior BBMP officer, not wanting to be named, said: “Whenever there is a festival at home, we clean the area and make it look good. It’s the same ahead of the PM’s visit. Improvement is being done so that Brand Bengaluru image is secure.” BBMP Engineer-in-chief Prahalad sought to play it down, saying road repairs are part of infrastructure improvement schemes, and are ongoing. Work has been prioritised and is being executed, he said.