Bengaluru: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Art of Living Foundation ashram Sunday, civic agencies intensified road repair and cleaning work along the busy Kanakapura Road and adjoining areas. Potholes were filled, garbage cleared, and roadside stretches spruced up in preparation for the visit.Sources said Modi is expected to travel by helicopter from the HAL airport after landing in Bengaluru and arrive at a temporary helipad near the NICE Road junction. From there, he will proceed to the ashram by road.Officials of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), however, maintained that the PM’s visit only expedited long-pending maintenance work in the area rather than prompting any special arrangements.The Bengaluru South City Corporation (BSCC) said maintenance activities were carried out along a nearly 3-km stretch from the 100 Feet Road in Banashankari 6th Stage (Bayyanapalya) to the Turahalli forest area.The works included filling potholes using eco-fix cold-mix tar, clearing roadside debris and flex banners, cleaning footpaths, trimming trees, and removing garbage along the expected VIP movement corridor.Officials said nearly 40 potholes were repaired as part of the exercise. Around 120 pourakarmikas from Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML) were deployed for cleaning operations, while 40 auto tippers and eight tractors were used to transport waste.Since the Art of Living (AoL) campus falls outside the limits of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), civic officials said the South Corporation handled maintenance works till the jurisdiction boundary (NICE junction), while the Kaggalipura gram panchayat managed to repair the remaining stretch.“There are no separate funds for this. We had planned to take up maintenance works on multiple roads and the PM visit as a coincidence. More than garbage, we found a lot of debris dumped along the roadside. Since this area lies at the end of the GBA boundary, it appears many people are illegally dumping debris here,” a BSCC executive engineer said.Ramesh KN, commissioner of the Bengaluru South City Corporation (BSCC), said high-profile visits often help civic agencies coordinate and expedite pending civic works.“We considered this occasion as an opportunity to carry out maintenance work and fix things. Otherwise, it becomes very difficult to mobilise people and complete the work quickly. For the PM’s movement, the GBA, BMRCL, PWD and RDPR have come together to beautify the roads,” he said.Officials from the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) also confirmed that minor roadside clearance works were carried out along portions of the route.A BMRCL spokesperson said cleaning activities were undertaken from the NICE Road junction towards the Art of Living campus to ensure smooth vehicular movement. “We have only ensured that roadside areas are properly cleaned and free of obstructions for vehicle movement,” the spokesperson said.
