From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Sept 1: Asserting that the unscientific works on the Mysuru-Bengaluru Express Highway which is presently going on was mainly responsible for the flooding near Ramanagara causing untold miseries and difficulties to travellers, said JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy and chided BJP MP Pratap Simha by questioning if he was a big engineer to give quality certificates.
The former chief minister, who spoke to media persons at Hunasanahalli village in Channapatna during his visit to rain affected places, reacted sharply to the ruling party MP’s comment that encroachments of the nalas and canals must be removed to set right things and said Simha should first understand why the flooding and water logging happened on the Mysuru-Bengaluru Express Highway.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has visited different rain-affected and flooded areas of Bengaluru city and has personally seen how storm water has entered houses and apartment blocks, Kumaraswamy said pointing out that the cause for flooding in several areas was because of the failure of the administrative machinery in ensuring proper development.
The JD(S) leader said removal of the illegal encroachments was one aspect of the problem but the flooding on Mysuru-Bengaluru Express Highway was due to the unscientific manner of carrying out the work. The problems persisted after the work was started, he said.
Kumaraswamy attacked the Mysuru-Kodagu MP and said he is preaching lessons to others and indulging in cheap politics in the name of prime minister Narendra Modi. “Should I learn from him? Let him not unnecessarily provoke me,’’ he said and wanted to know whether the flooding on the Express Highway was because of encroachment or the poor quality of work.
“Express highway and even its underpasses have flooded. Where is the MP now? How many times has he visited the affected places? Has he gone to take pictures to post in social media to get cheap publicity? I don’t have to learn politics from such a person, who became MP due to Modi’s charisma and not because of his achievements or service,’’ he said.
Responding to Bommai’s remarks that Kumaraswamy was free to lodge complaints with anybody, the former chief minister wondered who should be contacted other than the chief minister. “I have sought time to meet Surface Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari. I have made all video recordings and will send them to him. Let him take a decision,’’ he said and warned that local people will block the roads with sticks.
The former chief minister demanded to know why the prime minister was visiting coastal Mangaluru city and how much compensation will be sanctioned.
The state has suffered an estimated Rs 35,000 to 40,000 crore loss and damage due to natural calamities since 2019 and the NDRF has sanctioned a pittance of Rs 3,000 crore. “What is the big deal in Modi’s visit to Mangaluru,’’ he asked
Kumaraswamy said the people will throw out BJP from the state because there will be problems in future too if this government continued.