Modi visit: BBMP digs up a road for repairs, but ditches it after a change in PM's itinerary

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru:

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the city recently, the roads he was supposed to take to attend various functions were kept a secret due to security reasons. This had left BBMP officials in a quandary as they were not sure which roads the Prime Minister will take, and needs to be fixed. The Prime Minister was supposed to visit the KSR city railway station to flag off the high-speed Vande Bharat Express to Chennai.

When they got to know that Modi will enter the station through the back gate, or the second entry, the civic officials dolled up that particular stretch and ignored the pothole-ridden Gubbi Thotadappa road in front of the station.

Initially the Gubbi Thotadappa road was dug up to be asphalted, as part of the beautification drive by the municipal body ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit. However, when BBMP officials got to know that the route taken by Modi had been changed, they abandoned the road in its dug-up and damaged state, and didn't bother to restore it.

This has now left the public angry and frustrated. When the road was initially dug up, the local residents and daily commuters were happy that the road would be finally fixed after a span of three years. However, their joy was short-lived after the civic body changed its plans in the eleventh hour.

Now, the road from Shantala Silk House to Sangoli Rayanna statue is barely motorable. The road is a nightmare for two-wheeler riders, as it is full of gravel and loose soil.