The New Indian Express ·
Minister Krishna Byre Gowda wants revival of 1K defunct borewells
BENGALURU: Pulling up officials over poor development and waste management, Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda on Wednesday outlined three immediate priorities for gram panchayats in Bengaluru Urban district — drinking water, resource mobilisation and long-term planning for permanent infrastructure.
Chairing the first-quarter Karnataka Development Programme (KDP) review meeting for 2026-27, organised by the Bengaluru Urban Zilla Panchayat, Byre Gowda said, “Wherever there is a drinking water problem, the available gram panchayat funds must be utilised immediately to provide relief to people. At the same time, officials must focus on creating permanent infrastructure rather than repeatedly addressing the same problem.”
The minister directed officials to reconsider proposals for new borewells, pointing out that more than 1,000 borewells in Bengaluru Urban district have remained defunct for years. Instead of automatically drilling new borewells, the Rural Residential (RR) numbers of inactive borewells should be transferred to new connections wherever feasible, he said.
He directed officials to complete the exercise before the next KDP review meeting. Bengaluru Urban Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Yathish R assured him that it would be completed within the stipulated period.
Reviewing the utilisation of gram panchayat grants, he said a portion of the funds should be mandatorily earmarked for durable infrastructure, particularly drinking water and waste management.
“Development cannot be measured merely by how much money has been spent. Every rupee spent must translate into a solution to a problem faced by people. Otherwise, expenditure serves little purpose,” he said.
On road infrastructure, Byre Gowda said a detailed exercise had been undertaken over the past one-and-a-half years to identify new roads in the Bengaluru Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA) limits around Bengaluru. Some existing roads would also be widened, he said.