Nearly two weeks after he was assigned the portfolio of Bengaluru Development, Krishna Byre Gowda Tuesday assumed charge as the minister and assured city residents of better roads and addressing civic grievances.

Gowda, who did not accept the portfolio seeking full control over the city’s planning agencies, recently went to Delhi and eventually took charge.

The delay stemmed from uncertainty over the scope of his portfolio after several departments that govern Bengaluru were not allocated to him. Gowda wanted control over the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and Bengaluru Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA), which have been retained by Chief Minister D K Shivakumar.

Gowda will now have the responsibilities of the GBA and five city corporations under the civic body, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), and the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL).

‘One pothole gets filled, another opens up’

In his first review meeting Tuesday, he met officials from five city corporations, B-SMILE, GBA and Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BWSML).

Gowda did not mince his words in the meeting, drawing attention to pothole-ridden roads in Bengaluru.

“One pothole gets filled and another opens up somewhere else. This has become routine. What exactly is stopping our officials from building quality roads that don’t develop potholes in the first place? Building a good road is not harder than rocket science,” he said, expressing clear frustration.

Comparing Bengaluru’s roads unfavourably with those in other South Indian states, he directed officials to move away from the cycle of temporary patching and instead focus on durable, quality road construction. “The suffering caused by bad roads must end. I will always stand behind officials who do good work,” he assured.

Gowda also said that while the government has long-term plans, including tunnel roads, elevated corridors, and traffic-friendly roads, he directed officials to pay equal attention to daily civic grievances. “Officials must resolve citizens’ everyday problems quickly. By sharpening administration and improving service delivery, we can raise the quality of life in the city,” he said.

The GBA elections, expected to be held this year in line with the Supreme Court’s directions, will be a litmus test for Gowda’s political career, given that the BJP and JD(S) are preparing to field their candidates separately.

Krishna Byre Gowda is the son of the late minister C Byre Gowda, who represents the Byatarayanapura assembly segment. A student of National College (PU education) in Basavanagudi, he is a business management graduate from Christ College. He completed his post-graduation in International Affairs from the School of International Service at American University in Washington.

He has served as president of the Karnataka Pradesh Youth Congress Committee, agricultural minister during Siddaramaiah’s first tenure as chief minister, and rural development, law and parliamentary affairs minister during the Congress-JD(S) coalition government, and as revenue minister before Shivakumar became the chief minister.