Krishna Byre Gowda directs GBA to take disciplinary action against officials over failure to address streetlight issue

Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda on Saturday directed officials of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) to initiate disciplinary action against those responsible for lapses in streetlight maintenance.

The instruction has come in the wake of identifying over 140 of 222 streetlights that were not functioning on a key road in central Bengaluru.

In a letter, Mr. Gowda issued the directions to GBA Chief Commissioner M. Maheshwar Rao after personally inspecting the stretch between Hudson Circle and Chalukya Circle on August 28. The inspection found that only 82 of the 222 streetlight poles had functioning lights.

The Minister stated that the GBA had already held two meetings on the maintenance of streetlights and issued instructions to the officials concerned. At a meeting held on August 4, the officials and contractors were specifically directed to ensure there were no lapses in maintenance and were given time to rectify the shortcomings.

Despite these directions, a large number of non-functional streetlights on the stretch indicated a failure in maintenance, Mr. Gowda said.

He pointed out that the road is a major stretch in the heart of Bengaluru and connects to Kempegowda Bus Station. It runs alongside the court complex and the residence of the Chief Justice of the High Court. He noted that hundreds of vehicles use the road every minute.

Mr. Gowda has now directed the commissioner to initiate disciplinary action against the officials who failed to discharge their duties and did not comply with the instructions.