Bengaluru Infrastructure Crisis: Citizens Threaten Tax Boycott as Government Accelerates Pothole Repairs

The state government has faced criticism regarding the poor condition of roads in Bengaluru.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar announced on Wednesday that the pothole filling work in Bengaluru is "progressing swiftly," even as a citizens' group threatened to withhold property tax payments amid ongoing debates about the city's deteriorating infrastructure.

In a Kannada post on X, Shivakumar stated: "Giving priority to smooth traffic in Bengaluru city, the work of asphalting roads at various places in the city and filling potholes is progressing swiftly."

This development follows recent comments by Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, who reignited discussions about Bengaluru's infrastructure by sharing an overseas executive's critical observations about the city's roads and garbage situation. Her remarks prompted Shivakumar, who also oversees Bengaluru development, to respond that the city requires collective effort rather than constant criticism.

The Individual Tax Payers Forum, comprising Income Tax payers, sent a letter to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday, urging the government to prevent the Greater Bengaluru Authority from collecting property tax if residents weren't provided with "good public infrastructure".

"The citizens and Taxpayers are suffering immensely along with our families and children because of Bad Civic Infrastructure planning by Municipal Authorities (BBMP), GBA) and wish to draw your kind attention to the ongoing, Half Measured, Unscientific, and poorly Co-ordinated Road White-Topping, and Stormwater drainage works in the Varthur-Balgere Panathur area," stated the letter obtained by NDTV.

The forum mentioned "one of the worst" flooding incidents in the city recently and criticized that "instead of first completing the drainage network, which is the foundation for road stability, authorities have hastily started filing potholes, white-topping works in Varthur-Balagere-Panathur". They added, "Such half-measures will only lead to rapid deterioration of the new roads, wasting public funds and taxpayer contributions."

They highlighted that Bengaluru is globally recognized as India's IT hub, arguing that such casual approaches and civic negligence only "erodes the pride and credibility of 'Brand Bengaluru' and should be unacceptable".

"In last few decades, the recognition is getting changed and we being the citizens and residents of Bengaluru, don't want to hear our City as Garbage City, Pothole City, Traffic Jam City, No Footpath city, Poor Public Infrastructure, etc," the forum expressed.

On Wednesday, Shaw also highlighted the "dire situation" which she attributed to previous state governments' inaction. "This Government has the opportunity to change this and act fast to fix these decades of deteriorating infrastructure and garbage management," she posted on X.

The state government continues to face criticism regarding poor road conditions and traffic problems in the city.

Previously, state ministers Priyank Kharge and M B Patil acknowledged these challenges and indicated that fixing them would require time. They called for "collective effort" to improve Bengaluru's situation.

On Tuesday, Shivakumar reported that 13,000 potholes in the city have been filled thus far, and expressed his intention to find a "permanent solution" to Bengaluru's road issues. He mentioned instructing officials to develop a Rs 1,100 crore action plan for improving 550 km of arterial roads across the city.