Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy had recently accepted that corruption is widely prevalent at all levels in the state. He had expressed his helplessness in this regard owing to the coalition with Congress and said, “The rot in the system is so deep that I shudder at the thought of a clean-up and don’t know where to begin.” The rot which Kumaraswamy is talking about had been instilled in the system by his coalition partner Congress led by Siddaramaiah which had ruled the state earlier from 2013 till May 2018. Siddaramaiah’s regime had proved to be helpful for just one section and that was Congress leaders and their coffers. The citizens of the state suffered under Siddaramaiah and continue to do so in the present day Janata Dal Secular and Congress coalition. The latest instance of corruption has come from Bengaluru, the capital city of Karnataka. Media channel Mirror Now undertook a reality check and uncovered the depth of corruption in the state. It was shocking to find out that the Church Street which had gotten Rs 10 crore makeover did not last long even for three months, pitiable to say the least.
Bengaluru’s Church Street reveals the height of corruption and negligence of the civic authorities operating in Karnataka under Siddaramaiah led Congress rule. The revamping of the Church Street had witnessed a lot of controversy in the last year. The construction work was delayed many times. It took many months rather than the six allotted to do the job, the job was finally done in March with less than two months to go for the Assembly elections. Mayor of Bengaluru, Sampath Raj had pointed out that the cobblestones planted on the road had a life of 100 years and the incorporation of an art style would make the road one of its kinds in the state and in India. Quite the opposite has happened in reality in the Church Street within just three months.
The road has not managed to survive unscathed even for three months. The unmaintained road has started showing cracks. Cobblestones, the USP of the road have started coming out in many places and have led to the creation of potholes which could lead to major accidents and will threaten the lives of people in the days to come. The arrival of the rainy season has further laid bare the threat which the road has become to the traffic moving on the streets. Activists have signaled towards major corruption in the construction of the road and their contention is absolutely right. Over ten crore rupees were spent on constructing a kilometre long stretch of road which has begun to show cracks. Let alone the promise of building roads which would be safe for the next 100 years, the roads have not even lasted 100 days. The pathetic condition of the road exposes the pathetic case of corruption and misuse of taxpayers’ money which was being done by the nexus of government officials and civic authorities which held power in the state.
PC: Times Now
H.D. Kumaraswamy was absolutely right in accepting that he was facing problems in removing corruption from the state. It was an honest confession to make, considering he is in coalition with the same party which is to blame for the rampant corruption. It is exactly why the people of Karnataka as a whole were against JDS joining hands with the Congress, which was in fact the root cause of all problems in the state. JDS-Congress coalition has given the Congress leaders another chance to continue the loot in the state and what’s even better is that JDS leaders will directly bear the brunt of the repercussions from the public for every expose. JDS has its hands tied and the Congress is let loose in the state once more, if this does not stop in the times to come it will destroy the state. A fair government would have ensured a thorough investigation in this and all the other alleged scams which had been done in the state in the five years of Siddaramaiah led Congress rule. Church Street is a shining example of the inefficiency and corruption in the heart of the state capital and people are going to remember this come 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
