Bengaluru: Union industries minister and former Karnataka chief minister CM HD Kumaraswamy Thursday launched a scathing attack on the Congress govt, accusing it of reducing Bengaluru to ‘Gundiuru’ (city of potholes) and driving industries away due to misgovernance and corruption.He said the proud city built by Nadaprabhu Kempegowda has “suffered a severe blow to its reputation” and is now gaining infamy for crumbling infrastructure. “At every step, there is a death trap of potholes; everywhere one looks, heaps of garbage. Is this what they call Greater Bengaluru?” he asked, holding CM Siddaramaiah and DCM D K Shivakumar directly responsible. “If the govt works at rocket speed in levying and hiking taxes, why can’t it work at the same pace with regard to filling potholes,” he asked.His comment came in the backdrop of a logistics firm CEO’s announcement of moving out of the tech corridor of Bellandur citing crumbling infrastructure. Expressing solidarity with corporates who have been demanding motorable roads, Kumaraswamy warned that investor confidence was eroding, with industries openly voicing frustration over the city’s collapsing infrastructure.“Industries are losing faith in Karnataka and migrating to neighbouring states. Those states have been waiting for this very moment, offering one concession after another to attract them. This govt cannot even understand the gravity of the situation, it’s senses have gone numb.” While emphasising that focus should be on infrastructure creation, he asked: “Where is the taxpayer’s money going if the govt cannot do something as basic as fixing potholes?”. TNNquoteDK Shivakumar, DCMWhy is Kumaraswamy staying silent about securing funds for Bengaluru? He should be asking the Prime Minister for Rs 10,000 crore to build roads. During Manmohan Singh’s tenure as the PM, there was a scheme called the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. Kumaraswamy never raised issues related to the Centre helping the state govt. Now, just to be in the news, he is posting messages on social media
