Part of the work on the double drain at Bilekahalli is completed, Ashok said. Work on the parallel drain, estimated at Rs 30 crore, would begin soon and would be completed by the end of January, he said. Once it is complete, traffic will be allowed on the drain and this would put an end to congestion, the minister said, adding that the drain itself would solve the problem of flooding.

The BWSSB would also take up underground drainage work from Bannerghatta Road to Silk Board Junction, a distance of about 5 km. A pipeline of about 1,500 mm diameter would be laid at the cost of Rs 15 crore, which would be provided by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, Ashok said.

The approval for this is expected in a day or two, the minister said, adding that encroachments and illegal constructions coming in the way of infrastructure development would be removed.

The work has been causing a lot of inconvenience to the residents of the area. Lakshminarayan, a resident of Bilekahalli, said that they do not have access to the main road and the road that they have to use is in such a bad condition that it is more logical to use very old cars.

Some of the work on the drain is complete and thus there is no heavy flooding. However, the work on the parallel drain is yet to be completed and because of this the residents are plagued by mosquitoes, he said.

“We are also told that the underground drainage work would be taken up here. If that happens, we will have no access to the road,” said Lakshminarayan.

“We have approached BBMP officials but their assurances are not of much use. Even the ministers who visit the area are more bothered about publicity than resolving our problems,” he said.

Sub-lease confusion in JP Nagar: Ashok

Ashok said that the JP Nagar underpass work should have been completed by now but was delayed because of confusion over the sub-lease of the contract. Now, the work would be completed soon, he assured. By December 15, one portion of the work is expected to be completed and the main road would be opened to traffic, while the remaining work would be complete by January 15, he said.

The contractor who has delayed the work and sub-let the contract twice would be blacklisted and a fine of Rs 50 lakh would be levied for causing delay, said the minister. However, the work would be carried on by the same contractor because changing the contractor would further delay the project, he said.

The work on the Kadrinahalli underpass, which is also delayed, will be completed soon and the contractor would be fined Rs 75 lakh for the delay, said Ashok, adding that further delays would result in strict action against the contactors.

BBMP elections

The government is not causing delay in the elections to the BBMP and the ward reservation notification would be issued within 10 days, said R Ashok.