DKS at Brand B'luru meet: Committed to maintaining public trust

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Saturday said the newly-elected Congress government in the State is committed to maintaining trust of the public, adding that the party would constitute a committee to include officials and prominent people of the city, and prepare a blueprint and master plan for the development of the city in six months.

Addressing the group of dignitaries at the Brand Bengaluru meeting at Vidhana Soudha, Shivakumar, who also holds the Bengaluru Development portfolio, said he had received opinions and ideas from the dignitaries on the development of the city, which he will take a call on behalf of the government after getting the public’s opinion in the next phase.

“At first, I received opinions of MLAs of all parties. Now, I have got the opinions of industry and capital investors. Next, I will have another meeting and seek the public’s opinion. They have placed their trust in me, in the party, and our Chief Minister. We will maintain their trust”, he said.

The meeting witnessed discussion on various issues including the focus on high-density corridors, garbage and sewage management, sewage treatment and recycling, Cauvery water supply, Metro connectivity expansion, mono rail, suburban rail, quality education, slum area development, road widening and elevated road. However, the deputy CM asserted that the planning should be done keeping the State’s economy in mind.

“I agree with some advice. Everyone advised us that we should build a satellite town. The implementation of the peripheral road will be emphasised upon”, he said. Reiterating his stand that Bengaluru was not a planned city, Shivakumar noted that the change cannot happen in one day and thus everyone’s hard-earned property should be respected in the development of the city.

Notably, he focused on reducing the pressure on the city by focusing on job creation at the local level and in Tier 2 and 3 cities. To the question on the establishment of a task force development in the city, he said he would decide on it after hearing the public’s opinion.

Infosys co-founder Kris Gopalakrishnan, Biocon chief Kiran MazumdarShaw, Chairman and MD of Prestige Group Irfan Razack, co-founder of Zerodha Nikhil Kamath, BJP MP from Bengaluru North and former CM DV Sadananda Gowda, were among those present at the meeting.