Bengaluru: A late-night inspection of the Outer Ring Road (ORR) by greater Bengaluru development minister Krishna Byre Gowda Thursday exposed the governance problem that has plagued the city for decades — the lack of coordination among civic agencies. During the visit, officials of various departments were unable to clearly identify which agency had dug up a service road, highlighting the confusion and lack of accountability that often results in repeated road cutting, delays and inconvenience to citizens.When Byre Gowda questioned officials about the excavation, East Bengaluru City Corporation engineers reportedly attributed it to Bescom. However, Bescom officials denied responsibility, leaving the minister without a clear answer on who had carried out the work.The minister was seen telling the engineers, “How did you allow another agency to cut the road…. This looks like it was done by OFC. Get the Bescom answer.” Caught off-guard, officials stood there trying to figure out who had dug up the road.Addressing the challenge, Byre Gowda Friday convened a second meeting of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) executive committee, a body constituted to improve coordination among various civic and infrastructure agencies operating in the city. The committee brings together senior officials from the five city corporations, BWSSB, Bescom, BMTC, BMRCL, BDA, K-Ride, traffic police, fire and emergency services and others.The minister said Bengaluru’s residents have demanded better coordination among agencies for decades, pointing out that one department often lays a road only for another to dig it up shortly afterwards for utility works.To improve planning and information sharing, the minister directed officials to develop a unified GIS-based digital platform that will map roads, utilities, streetlights and all ongoing civic works across agencies. Every department will be required to upload its proposed projects and action plans before execution so that works can be coordinated in advance and road cutting can be minimised. The platform will also allow citizens to report civic issues such as potholes and track the status of corrective action. According to him, better coordination, technology-driven monitoring and regular engagement between agencies will help reduce public inconvenience, prevent wasteful expenditure and improve the delivery of civic services across Bengaluru.Public consultation before Rs 400-crore ORR makeoverThe proposed Rs 400-crore redevelopment of the 17.1km Outer Ring Road corridor between Silk Board and Baiyappanahalli Metro stations will be taken up only after extensive public consultation, minister Krishna Byre Gowda said. The govt plans to seek feedback from residents, commuters, businesses, pedestrians, cyclists and other stakeholders before finalising the design of the ambitious B-Smile project. Officials said the consultations will help identify on-ground issues and ensure that the redesign reflects the needs of all road users.
