Surya slams Karnataka govt for prioritising 'VIP projects' over buses

BJP MP Tejasvi Surya slammed the Karnataka govt for delaying 4,500 electric buses while favouring 'VIP projects'. He accused them of treating commuters as 'second-class citizens' and demanded a white paper on the ₹5,500 crore spent on roads.

Surya Accuses Govt of Prioritising 'VIP Projects'

BJP Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya on Monday launched a scathing attack on the Karnataka government, accusing it of prioritising "VIP projects" over the needs of daily commuters. Surya pointed out that while the Central Government has sanctioned 4,500 electric buses for Bengaluru, the state cabinet has yet to provide the approval necessary for their deployment. Speaking to ANI, the BJP MP alleged that the state government is treating the public transport users as "second-class citizens." He said, "The Central Government has sanctioned 4,500 electric buses for Bengaluru. However, the State Government has not given the cabinet approval necessary for the deployment of these 4,500 buses...For this government, which has money and resources for VIP projects, such as 1,300-kilometre tunnel roads, 2-kilometre tunnel roads exclusively for cars, public transport and its users are treated as second-class citizens. For them, the person who travels by metro is not a priority. "

Surya argued that the government is choosing to spend resources on 'white-elephant projects' rather than fulfilling its commitments to expand the city's bus fleet. Critiquing the government's vision, the MP remarked, " The woman who travels daily by BMTC bus is not a priority. The pedestrian who needs a skywalk, footpath, or proper walkway is not a priority. This is a VIP government that comes up with white-elephant projects so that large kickbacks can be taken, nothing else."

Commuters Share Daily Struggles

MP Tejaswi Surya further met the passengers and spoke to them on the issues related to the non-availability of buses. He spoke with several commuters who highlighted the daily difficulties caused by irregular bus services and the lack of reliable connectivity during peak hours.

A lady passenger named Chaitra shared her experience, stating, "I travel from Goragunte Palya daily, and I have to change 2 buses. But we can hardly find buses due to non-availability. Only a few buses are available, which leave at the same time. Why can't they release buses time to time which is causing too much problem to commuters like me. We need buses in peak hours in Bengaluru."

Demand for Transparency on Road Expenditure

Earlier, in June, Tejasvi Surya urged the Karnataka Minister for Greater Bengaluru Development, Krishna Byre Gowda, to release a comprehensive white paper within 30 days detailing the expenditure on city roads over the past three years. He questioned the Congress-led government over its claim of Rs 5,500 crore expenditure on Bengaluru's roads, claiming that potholes are common and road conditions continue to worsen.

"The Congress Government claims to have spent nearly ₹5,500 crore on Bengaluru's roads in the last three years. Yet, potholes continue to dominate our streets and road conditions are only getting worse. Where has this taxpayer's money gone? Bengaluru deserves transparency. Taxpayers deserve accountability," he said on X. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)