Bengaluru: Reeling under the impact of downpour over the past two days, the city’s crumbling infrastructure came under sharp scrutiny Friday when chief secretary Shalini Rajneesh undertook an extensive tour and pulled up officials over poor quality work.From Silk Board to Panathur, HSR Layout to Iblur Junction, the city’s top bureaucrat inspected bad roads, clogged drains and traffic bottlenecks. What she witnessed was potholes, incomplete works and unattended trash.At Silk Board junction, she directed officials to clear debris and silt from the stormwater drain immediately and take up beautification. “Namma Metro must complete its work by June 2026 and construct a skywalk, while BBMP must provide a high-rise pedestrian crossing. I want the drains desilted and the scrap dumped on roads removed without delay,” she said.In HSR Layout, Shalini found poorly installed medians and waterlogging issues. She asked Metro engineers to clear construction material and asphalt the roads for smooth traffic flow. “Citizens cannot be made to suffer because of incomplete or shoddy work. Fix the drains, ensure clean roads and make them motorable immediately,” she instructed.At Agara Lake Road, citizens complained that white-topping work has dragged on since Feb. Pulling up the civic body, she asked officials to furnish details of the contractor, timeline and reasons for the delay. “I want full accountability — when did work start, who is responsible, and by when it will be completed,” she said.At Iblur Junction, Shalini called for comprehensive development, including a pedestrian skywalk, footpath repairs and merging of the service road with the main carriageway up to Marathahalli to ease traffic. On Panathur Road, she found overflowing drains, broken slabs and flooding near the road overbridge. “All these issues must be fixed on a war-footing. Widen the road, clear the drains and complete the culvert work without excuses,” she said.Accompanied by GBA chief commissioner Maheshwar Rao, senior engineers and police officers, Shalini said she will personally review progress of work. “I will be back to see whether the works have been completed. Bengaluru deserves roads that are safe and free of flooding,” she said.
