Improving quality of everyday life of Bengalureans my priority: Krishna Byre Gowda
Improving the quality of everyday life of Bengalureans will be his priority, said Krishna Byre Gowda, Byatarayanapura MLA, on Tuesday, after he took charge as
Improving the quality of everyday life of Bengalureans will be his priority, said Krishna Byre Gowda, Byatarayanapura MLA, on Tuesday, after he took charge as the Bengaluru Development Minister and held the first review meeting with the Greater Bengaluru Authority. “We always talk of making Bengaluru a world-class city. But along with that, we need to all work towards improving the quality of life of the residents of this city. This not only entails improving physical infrastructure like roads, drains, garbage management, and traffic, but a 360-degree perspective which will make the city a vibrant space,” he said. ‘Pothole free roads priority’ In a meeting with senior officials earlier, he asked them whether it was “rocket science” to build pothole-free roads. “We have been saying the same thing for 25 years now, but the problem persists. The lifespan of roads in the city is low. This essentially means that we are not doing our work properly and are creating eternal problems.
This needs to change,” he said. ‘Waste collection should improve’ Gowda conceded that the waste collection system in the city had to improve. “While in some cases it is irregular, it is not on time in many places. This may have led to the formation of many black spots. It is our responsibility to correct this, and we will work towards it,” he said. However, he added that the garbage problem could be solved only if the people also cooperated. “There are instances where people recklessly dump waste on the roads. People should also become responsible and cooperate; only then can we solve this problem,” he said. ISWM tenders Responding to allegations by the opposition regarding the Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) tenders, he said the government had already formed a tender evaluation committee with senior officials, and the opposition was free to submit their complaints to the committee. “Their complaints will also be taken into consideration during the evaluation of the tender, and only then will the final call be taken,” he said.
Hitting back at objections to the long tenure of the tender (30 years), he said the city needed long-term thinking and strategic planning. “Short-term fixes and band-aid solutions are why we are here today,” he said. “Since the private firm will invest in building waste processing infrastructure, the evaluation committee will also look at the duration in which they will be able to recover their investment,” he added. Khata Praising the e-Kahata system as best anywhere in the country, he conceded teething problems, which he said would be fixed. “A major share of litigation is property disputes. The new khata system will cut down future litigation and corruption,” he said. ‘Took charge following directions by high command, CM’ Gowda said that he took charge as the Bengaluru Development Minister following directions from the Congress high command and the Chief Minister. He had not taken charge of the Ministry for nearly two weeks, as the Chief Minister had retained the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and the Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA).
The BriefWire