Karnataka minister Krishna Byre Gowda has pulled up officials during a review meeting to assess development works, projects and programmes being carried out across all five city corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority, according to reports.
"Are you working to improve Bengaluru, or are you working to ruin it?" he asked officials at the meeting at the Council Hall on Tuesday.
The minister flagged discrepancies in the High Density Corridor project on the Outer Ring Road, where electricity poles are required to be installed every 20 metres under the completed works. Officials found that in some stretches, poles, both old and new, had instead been installed at intervals of just five to 10 metres, the reports stated.
Gowda questioned whether the works were being carried out in the public interest or merely to facilitate contractor payments, and asked why old poles were not being removed and replaced with uniformly designed ones when new poles were installed.
He went on to pull up officials from B-SMILE over the issue, telling them: "You are not working to improve Bengaluru. Are you working to ruin it?"
The minister also directed officials to arrange a detailed presentation for senior officers across all city corporations on B-SMILE's ongoing projects, including the elevated corridor and rotary flyover works, to ensure comprehensive information was shared with senior officials.
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Turning to the state of the city's parks, Gowda expressed concern that several had been left poorly maintained, with garbage found lying uncleared despite maintenance funds being allocated. "You are all looting in the name of park maintenance, there's nothing happening," he said.
"Once Bengaluru was famous for its parks, today they are dying under your watch. I have told you this before too — you are just billing and looting. You will be responsible for the consequences," he added.
He warned officials of the Horticulture Department that they would be held directly accountable if the parks were not properly maintained, noting that Bengaluru's reputation had long rested on the upkeep of its green spaces.
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