Bengaluru’s sub-arterial and interior roads will get the much needed facelift over the next six months, with a large share of the ₹5,000 crore already allocated for road infrastructure this year to be spent on ‘re-doing’ roads across the city, Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said.

He was speaking at #THTalksBengaluru, The Hindu’s interactive programme, through which he addressed questions from readers on Thursday (August 13, 2026). 

Responding to concerns over smaller roads and by-lanes being left unattended while major roads are taken up for works such as white-topping, Mr. Gowda said up to 90% of the ₹5,000 crore would go towards interior roads. The ₹5,000-crore allocation is in addition to the ₹2,000-crore package as well as other funds released after Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar assumed office.

While the focus will be on taking up more roads, the Minister acknowledged that the quality of existing road works has been a persistent concern. He acknowledged that Bengaluru’s roads needed improvement and said quality assurance would be prioritised in the works to be taken up. “I am acutely aware of the failure of maintaining quality. I have told my engineers that henceforth, quality assurance will be a priority,” he said.

Across-the-board maintenance

On the immediate problem of potholes and the condition of roads that have deteriorated due to the rains, Mr. Gowda said an “across-the-board” maintenance check would be carried out towards the end of the monsoon season.

“The exercise would be taken up towards the end of the rainy season rather than immediately. Repairs carried out in the middle of the rains would not last,” the Minister said.

Lack of coordination

Another recurring problem raised by citizens was the lack of coordination between agencies working on the same roads, with some of them being repeatedly dug up by different agencies even after they have been developed. Mr. Gowda pointed to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) as the institutional mechanism being put in place to improve coordination.

“One institutional solution is GBA, which has an overarching statutory power. For the first time, we have brought at least a majority of the multiple agencies working in Bengaluru under the GBA,” he said, adding that this would replace the earlier system of relying on ad hoc committees constituted through government orders. 

While the GBA is expected to provide the institutional framework for coordination, Mr. Gowda said the more practical solution would be a “GIS-based digital road map” that is being developed for Bengaluru.

Digital road map

“We are developing a GIS-based digital road map where all agencies will be required to post all their assets and their works. The system is intended to allow agencies to know in advance what other agencies are planning to do on a particular road. Major works would have to be indicated a year in advance and minor works at least six months ahead,” he explained.

The digital dashboard will also be opened to the public, allowing residents to track works being carried out near their homes. Residents will be able to see the cost and nature of the work, its components and quality specifications, timelines, as well as the engineer and contractor responsible for it, he said, pointing out that the platform would, therefore, serve both as a coordination mechanism for agencies and a monitoring tool for citizens.

Published - August 14, 2026 07:20 pm IST