Resistance from Local Residents to Footpath Construction on Panathur Road
Bengaluru, Nov. 19:
Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Chief Commissioner Maheshwar Rao directed officials to impose penalties and initiate action against individuals who cut roads without authorization.
Addressing a meeting held today at the GBA Head Office with officials from the five City Corporations under the GBA jurisdiction, he instructed that applications received for road-cutting through the MARKS software system must be verified and approvals granted strictly as per norms under the single-window system.
He emphasized that if any unauthorized road-cutting is detected in any of the City Corporations, penalties must be imposed, disciplinary action initiated, and the responsible parties must be directed to repair the damaged portion at their own cost.
Measures to Improve Property Tax Collection:The five City Corporations must take appropriate steps to increase property tax collection. He instructed officials to resolve pending cases related to major defaulters, revisions, and court matters to enhance revenue collection.
Clear Pending B-Khata to A-Khata Conversion Applications:Applications received for converting B-Khata to A-Khata must be reviewed City Corporation-wise and disposed of as per regulations. Applications for issuing e-Khata must also be cleared within the stipulated time frame.
Procure Towing Machines Immediately:The five City Corporations must float tenders immediately and procure towing machines to remove abandoned and unused vehicles. Coordination must be established with the Traffic Police, designated locations identified for each City Corporation, and towing operations must commence without delay.
Expedite White-Topping Works:White-topping work has been taken up across 140 roads covering 220.68 km under 17 packages. Of these, work on 39 roads (79.08 km) has been completed. Work is in progress on 101 roads covering 141.59 km. Instructions were given to coordinate with various departments and ensure that work begins immediately on the remaining roads.
Hold Coordination Meetings:Coordination meetings must be conducted with City Corporations and the BWSSB to resolve issues. Matters related to the BWSSB should be resolved through the concerned officials.
Fill Potholes Immediately:Most potholes on major arterial and sub-arterial roads in the city have been filled. He instructed that the remaining potholes be closed immediately and that continuous pothole-filling work be carried out at the ward level as well.
Residents Oppose Footpath Construction: Although repair work on Panathur Road has been completed, local residents are opposing the construction of a footpath. Since the absence of a footpath forces pedestrians to walk on the roadway, increasing the risk of accidents, he instructed that footpath construction be taken up immediately and legal action be initiated against those obstructing the work.
Workshop for Officials:A two-day capacity-building workshop for engineers and contractors of the five City Corporations under the GBA has been organized at the Administrative Research Institute (ARI), Infantry Road, on November 20 and 21. He directed all concerned to participate and implement the projects as per the guidelines.
Special Commissioner Dr. K. Harish Kumar, BSWML CEO Karigowda, and City Corporation Commissioners Rajendra Cholan, Pommala Sunil Kumar, Ramesh D.S., Ramesh K.N., Dr. Rajendra K.V., Additional Commissioners Latha R., Lokhande Snehal Sudhakar, Digvijay Bodke, Deputy Commissioner Gayatri Nayak, Chief Engineers, and several senior officials were present in the meeting.