Bengaluru: All ongoing road works in Bengaluru will be completed before the onset of the monsoon, Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar said on Saturday, asserting that the government has accelerated infrastructure projects across the city.

Reviewing the progress of road development works, Shivakumar said that over the last three months, the government has released close to ₹2,671 crore to take up road-related projects, and nearly 80 per cent of the works have already been tendered out.

“Most of the work has started. I have instructed the officials to ensure that all of them are completed by the end of April so that we are ready before the monsoon,” he said.

₹5,065 crore released for road works

The Deputy Chief Minister said that so far, the government has released nearly ₹5,065 crore for blacktopping and whitetopping works in Bengaluru.

“Just last year, we had released close to ₹694 crore for 389 km of blacktopping works and ₹1,700 crore for whitetopping,” he noted, highlighting the scale of investments being made in road infrastructure.

He directed officials to upload daily progress updates along with videos to ensure transparency and accountability in execution.

“I have asked the officials not to wait for any MLA or minister to inaugurate the roads or perform any pooja. They will finish the works and open them up for the public immediately,” he said, stressing timely completion over ceremonial formalities.

B-to-A khata conversion progress

Shivakumar also reviewed the progress of the B-to-A khata conversion scheme. He said the city corporations have received nearly 7,000 applications so far.

“Our revenue inspectors have to personally visit every property and inspect them. Hence, it is taking time to process these applications,” he explained.

In addition, he announced that close to 10 lakh properties in the city have now received e-khata. The government plans to hold a large public event on the third Saturday of April to officially distribute the e-khatas.

“All of them have downloaded the e-khata, but we want to officially distribute it. This is our government’s ‘bhu guarantee’. Hence, we will distribute it to all 10 lakh property owners at once,” he said.

Cleanliness and street vendor welfare

As part of efforts to improve civic amenities, the corporations will soon procure smaller handheld sweeping machines to enhance cleanliness in city streets. These machines will assist pourakarmikas in cleaning corners of roads more effectively.

The government also plans to distribute pushcarts to nearly 30,000 street vendors who have applied under the corporation’s welfare schemes.

“We have already started issuing them ID cards. We want them to use only pushcarts for vending. This way, we can prevent encroachment on footpaths and roads,” Shivakumar said.

No major pending dues

Responding to questions about pending payments to contractors, Shivakumar maintained that there are no significant outstanding dues.

“If there are any pending bills, they have been held back due to technical reasons. All other pending bills have been cleared. Only about 10 per cent of the bills may be pending,” he said.

With substantial funds released and strict timelines in place, the government aims to ensure that Bengaluru’s roads are monsoon-ready, while simultaneously pushing forward administrative reforms and civic improvements across the city.