Krishna Byre Gowda Pulls Up Civic Officials Over Bengaluru Parks, Project Irregularities

Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda on Tuesday pulled up civic officials over poorly maintained parks and alleged irregularities in the execution of infrastructure projects across the city, including along the Outer Ring Road.

Speaking at a meeting held to review the progress of development projects under the Greater Bengaluru Authority, the minister questioned officials on whether public funds were being spent on works that had not actually been carried out.

Addressing officials of the Horticulture Department, Byre Gowda expressed sharp disapproval after learning that garbage was not being cleared in several public parks across Bengaluru. He asked officials whether funds allocated for park maintenance were being misused, noting that the city's green spaces were deteriorating.

He highlighted Bengaluru's longstanding reputation as a city of parks and remarked that many of these spaces are now in poor condition. He cautioned the department that officials would be held directly responsible if parks were not properly maintained going forward.

The minister also raised concerns regarding the installation of electric poles along the Outer Ring Road under the High Density Corridor Project. He pointed out that while the standard distance between two electric poles should be 20 metres, certain stretches had poles installed every five to 10 metres, with some old poles left standing in between.

Taking B-SMILE officials to task over the issue, Byre Gowda questioned whether the work was intended to improve the city or ruin it, and asked if the corridor project was being executed primarily to benefit contractors rather than the public.