Not 'Greater Bengaluru', this is 'looters Bengaluru': Kumaraswamy on rain havoc

Bengaluru, May 19 (IANS) Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H. D. Kumaraswamy, while lashing out at the Karnataka government over Bengaluru floods, said that this is not ‘Greater Bengaluru’ but it has become ‘looters Bengaluru'.

“Every week, there is a new tax or price hike. Are people supposed to silently swallow whatever is thrown at them? Why isn’t lake water flowing into the lakes? Because the commissions have been siphoned from the water itself. The Bengaluru shown in colourful advertisements now is seen gasping,” the Union Minister said.

“Where is all the incoming revenue going? What is happening to the money earned from the sweat of city residents? How much is collected? How much is spent?” he asked.

He said that there is no progress on filling potholes, and there is no proper system to clear the drainage garbage. “Every day, a ground-breaking ceremony, a ritual worship for a new project, is held. This is not ‘Greater Bengaluru’, this is ‘Looters Bengaluru’,” he said.

Meanwhile, JD-S Karnataka unit, taking to social media X on Monday, further attacked over the Bengaluru flood situation.

“Dy CM D. K. Shivakumar, you are unfit to be the Minister in charge of Bengaluru,” the JD-S wrote on X.

It said that under Congress’s misrule, the citizens of Bengaluru are enduring hell each day, adding that many parts of the city are waterlogged, with floodwaters entering homes.

“And when people question it, your response is to blame them, saying the houses weren’t built properly. In this so-called Silicon City, drains are clogged, and silt hasn’t been cleared. The stormwater drains remain uncleaned. Just an hour or two of rain, and the roads turn into lakes,” it said.

The party further criticised the state government, saying that due to the incompetence of the government, Bengaluru’s reputation is being auctioned off at the global level.

“Even after two years in power, the Congress government has failed to repair pothole-ridden roads in Bengaluru. You have surrendered to the garbage mafia and, in your greed for commissions, you have turned the garden city into a garbage city,” the party said.

JD-S said that this is a clear reflection of your government’s complete administrative failure.

Following the backlash over floods and waterlogging in Bengaluru, the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar have announced that they will undertake a visit to rain-affected areas in Bengaluru.

--IANS

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