Bengaluru pothole crisis: DK Shivakumar inspects repair works, pushes for deadline-bound fixes

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar inspected Bengaluru's roads as part of a pothole-filling campaign, directing officials to expedite repairs.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Monday night inspected the condition of several arterial and residential roads in Bengaluru as part of the state government’s ongoing pothole-filling campaign. He also reviewed repair works being undertaken across the city and directed officials to speed up the exercise.

Karnataka deputy CM DK Shivakumar inspects potholes during the night.

5,000 potholes identified

According to data shared by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), over 5,000 potholes have been identified across the city. Instructions have been issued to prioritise and complete work on 4,400 critical road stretches, officials said. Of these, nearly 2,200 potholes have already been filled in the last four days.

Shivakumar, who holds the Bengaluru Development portfolio, said the civic body has adopted a “pothole attention software” to monitor and track road repairs. The software integrates complaints from citizens, who can upload details through a mobile app. The city police have also been asked to submit lists of potholes within their respective jurisdictions.

“Bengaluru’s image should not be tarnished because of bad roads. We are treating this issue on priority and will hold engineers accountable for delays,” Shivakumar said after his late-night inspection. He also instructed officials to complete repairs in a time-bound manner, particularly on busy stretches prone to traffic congestion and accidents.

BBMP officials said that teams have been deployed across zones and work is being carried out round-the-clock. The civic body is also documenting before-and-after photographs of each site to ensure accountability.