Road re-laid after Cong leader says 'it can be removed by hand’ in video

Authorities in Bengaluru re-laid a freshly laid road after a Congress leader demonstrated its quality by picking apart the asphalt with her bare hands. Parts of the road, in the city’s HSR Layout, came apart in a video recorded by the leader.

Kavitha Reddy, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee's (KPCC) general secretary, demonstrated the poor quality of the road, which she said was laid less than 10 days ago. “Residents should decide whether this road is a 40 per cent commission road or not,” she said, taking a dig at the ‘40 per cent commission’ charge against the ruling BJP in the state.

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“Roads of Bommanahalli can be removed by hand literally, 28th main HSR Layout recently asphalted road says it all! Corrupt MLA and 40 per cent sarkara are looting public money!” she wrote on Twitter and shared the video.

She later shared pictures of the road after it was re-laid.

Another resident also flagged a similar road in Gandhinagar constituency, saying that a newly laid road was peeling off. He shared photos showing a portion of the road that was caving in, and added that though the road was supposed to be re-laid, only patch work was done.

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These and several other instances of crumbling infrastructure in the city have prompted the opposition Congress to target chief minister Basavaraj Bommai's government, criticising them for allegedly hiring contractors who are accused of using low-quality materials to cut costs.

Karnataka is due to hold an Assembly election next year. With an eye on that, the Congress has furthered their attacks by levelling allegations against government officials and even ministers of demanding a 40 per cent 'commission' to grant infrastructure projects.