‘Potholes Even Outside PM’s Delhi Residence’: Shivakumar’s Bizarre Defence Of Bengaluru Roads – Delhi News Daily

Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar. (File pic/PTI)

In a bizarre defence, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Monday tried to shield his government’s handling of Bengaluru’s battered roads and stated that Bengaluru is being criticised unfairly while potholes are there all across the country. Giving the example of the road outside the Prime Minister’s residence in the national capital, Shivakumar claimed that there are some people who are conspiring against the Congress government in Karnataka by raising the issue of potholes on Bengaluru roads.

“I toured Delhi yesterday. The media should see how many potholes there are on the Prime Minister’s residence road,” he said, adding that poor roads are a nationwide problem. 

50 potholes on a 100-metre stretch of New Delhi road. Why is the target only Bengaluru? The media is showcasing it as only Karnataka. There are potholes on roads in every part of the country. Even in front of my house at Safdarjung Enclave in Delhi, there are 50 potholes. Even in Mumbai or any other city in the country, there are potholes,” he added. 

The Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister further claimed that Bengaluru is being unfairly criticised, while potholes are there all across the country. He further stated that the civic teams are filling “thousands of potholes per day” despite heavy rain.

Shivakumar stated that authorities are now aggressively working to address the issue. “We are filling about 200 potholes in each of the five corporations, adding up to a total of 1,000 potholes per day,” he said, adding that officials and workers are “working amidst the rains too.”

Shivakumar’s remarks came amid rising concern over Bengaluru’s crumbling infrastructure and criticism from Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy, who recently called the tech hub a “city of potholes”.

The controversy has been escalating over the past week, fueled by viral social media videos, citizen protests, and public outcries from residents, including schoolchildren. The city’s poor road conditions have drawn international attention, with a Canadian vlogger’s video turning the civic issue into a meme.

The row further escalated after logistics firm BlackBuck said it would relocate from the city’s Outer Ring Road, citing poor road conditions. It further got escalated with a school bus nearly toppling over after getting stuck in a pothole.