BENGALURU, 28 AUG

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday said Bengaluru has always had talent, good weather, and spirit, but lacked political will when it comes to addressing its infrastructure issues, and the Congress government is "fixing" it now.

Shivakumar, who is also the Minister in charge of Bengaluru Development, was reacting to Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw's statement that the city has the best talent and weather, but the worst infrastructure.

He also expressed his commitment to ensuring that the city's infrastructure and governance act as a catalyst for growth.

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw posted on 'X': "Namma Bengaluru has the best talent and the best weather but the worst infrastructure - if we fix garbage debris and roads, we can be among the best cities in the world. GBA (Greater Bengaluru Authority) has a great opportunity to do this. Let's use collective will to do this."

Replying to her, Shivakumar said, "Agree with you, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Bengaluru has always had the talent, the weather, and the spirit. What it lacked was political will. That's exactly what we are fixing now."

"From garbage to roads, from debris to planning - every challenge is being addressed with purpose and urgency. Namma (our) Bengaluru has always stood for innovation, opportunity, and unmatched spirit, and as our city grows and pushes boundaries, my commitment is to ensure our infrastructure and governance acts as a catalyst for growth," he posted on 'X'.

"With the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), we now have a unique opportunity to transform this vision into reality, and we will deliver," the Deputy CM said, as he called on the citizens, government, businesses, and civil society -- "This is the time to come together and shape a new chapter for Namma Bengaluru. The future is ours to build - together!"

The Karnataka government on Tuesday constituted the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), setting in motion the process of operationalising the 75-member body that will coordinate between the five newly carved city corporations.

The GBA, headed by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, includes elected representatives and senior officials.