In anticipation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the Art of Living Foundation ashram on Sunday, civic agencies in Bengaluru have ramped up road repair and cleaning activities along the bustling Kanakapura Road and its surrounding areas. Potholes have been filled, garbage cleared, and roadside stretches spruced up as part of the preparations.
Sources indicate that Modi is expected to travel by helicopter from HAL airport after landing in Bengaluru and will arrive at a temporary helipad near the NICE Road junction. From there, he will proceed to the ashram by road.
Officials from the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), however, stated that the PM's visit merely accelerated long-pending maintenance work in the area rather than necessitating any special arrangements. The Bengaluru South City Corporation (BSCC) reported that maintenance activities were carried out along a nearly 3-kilometer stretch from the 100 Feet Road in Banashankari 6th Stage (Bayyanapalya) to the Turahalli forest area.
The works included filling potholes using eco-fix cold-mix tar, clearing roadside debris and flex banners, cleaning footpaths, trimming trees, and removing garbage along the expected VIP movement corridor. Officials confirmed that approximately 40 potholes were repaired during the exercise. Around 120 pourakarmikas from Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML) were deployed for cleaning operations, while 40 auto tippers and eight tractors were used to transport waste.
Since the Art of Living (AoL) campus lies outside the limits of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), civic officials explained that the South Corporation handled maintenance works up to the jurisdiction boundary at the NICE junction, while the Kaggalipura gram panchayat managed repairs on the remaining stretch.
“There are no separate funds for this. We had planned to take up maintenance works on multiple roads, and the PM visit is a coincidence. More than garbage, we found a lot of debris dumped along the roadside. Since this area lies at the end of the GBA boundary, it appears many people are illegally dumping debris here,” a BSCC executive engineer said.
Ramesh KN, commissioner of the Bengaluru South City Corporation (BSCC), remarked that high-profile visits often help civic agencies coordinate and expedite pending civic works. “We considered this occasion as an opportunity to carry out maintenance work and fix things. Otherwise, it becomes very difficult to mobilise people and complete the work quickly. For the PM's movement, the GBA, BMRCL, PWD, and RDPR have come together to beautify the roads,” he said.
Officials from the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) also confirmed that minor roadside clearance works were carried out along portions of the route. A BMRCL spokesperson said cleaning activities were undertaken from the NICE Road junction towards the Art of Living campus to ensure smooth vehicular movement. “We have only ensured that roadside areas are properly cleaned and free of obstructions for vehicle movement,” the spokesperson added.
