BANGALORE: Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has taken a dim view of the progress in civic works and road building in the city and taken the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike to task for it.

He wants the civic agencies to ensure that floods do not recur this year, and has fixed the responsibility on BMP Commissioner and its Engineer-in-Chief. Even in the city Municipal Councils, the Deputy Commissioner Bangalore (Urban) and the CMC Commissioners are to ensure that the city free from floods during the rainy season.

At a review meeting of the Urban Development Department at his home office "Krishna" on Tuesday, Mr. Kumaraswamy reportedly asked the BMP and other agencies as to why the enthusiasm in visiting foreign countries is not being reflected in their work back home. "I too have seen, and we all know that in countries such as China, major works get completed within three months. But although I have been watching for the past two-and-a-half months, I see no progress at all in Bangalore," he said. Sources said the Chief Minister wants the agencies to adopt the latest technology and give quality work.

Mr. Kumaraswamy specifically said the water body at Sarakki, which he inspected a few weeks ago, did not reflect Rs. 3 crore spent on restoring it. He has asked officials to ensure that major storm water drains; on Airport Road and other areas were cleared of debris and garbage to ensure free flow of water.

May 15 is the deadline to clear debris; municipal waste in all major drains, while the small drains on the roadside should be cleaned to allow rainwater to drain off.

The ward level engineers ought to be familiar with the problem spots in their respective areas, and be proactive in dealing with them, apart from inspecting ongoing construction of drains are adequately covered to prevent the public from falling materials.

The Chief Minister does not want to hear of an accident due to falling trees and the Forest Department should take action without waiting for the BMP and CMCs to send alerts.

He wanted the cleaning of lakes to be done in time, and specifically mentioned Agara Lake, which saw the flooding of HSR Layout last monsoon.

He said there were too many encroachments on footpaths, and they should be cleared to enable free movement of pedestrians.

The Principal Secretary, Urban Development Department, officials from the Bangalore Development Authority, the Forest and Environment Department, the BMP and other agencies were present.

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