Karnataka to Hold Local Body Polls in 2026, Announces Deputy CM Shivakumar

Shivakumar, who is also the Urban Development Minister, was speaking to the media after inaugurating the new flyover near the Hebbal flyover and later, near his residence in Bengaluru.

When asked about his New Year's resolutions, he said, "The year 2026 has begun on an auspicious note. In 2025, we provided good governance. Through the investors' meet and the tech summit, we have taken Karnataka forward. We have kept our promises."

He said historic decisions had been taken in the irrigation sector. "The decisions taken in the Upper Krishna Project (UKP), the Tungabhadra project, and the court's decision on the Mekedatu project will go down in history. The trust reposed in us by the people has boosted our confidence. Our government is working to live up to that trust," he said.

"In my 35 years of political life, I have never organised such large-scale programmes in Bengaluru. Even when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the city, he praised Bengaluru. Though he did not allocate funds to the city, we are determined to give Bengaluru a new shape," he stated.

He said that Bengaluru welcomed 2026 after bidding farewell to 2025 in a peaceful manner due to effective security arrangements.

"I congratulate Home Minister G. Parameshwara and the entire Home Department for ensuring that no untoward incidents took place," he said.

"For the smooth movement of vehicles to the international airport and the northern parts of Bengaluru, we have inaugurated the second loop of the Hebbal flyover today. Residents of this area had been complaining about traffic congestion near Hebbal. We found a solution at a rapid pace and eased the traffic bottleneck," he said.

He said the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), which has completed 50 years, has undertaken several historic projects that had never been attempted before.

"Land is being acquired from farmers to implement the 120-km-long Bengaluru Business Corridor (BBC). As compensation, 35 per cent of the land is being given back to farmers as commercial land. Farmers are also being offered good compensation for developing small townships. In the coming days, a 1.5-km tunnel road will come up in this area. A flyover will be constructed near Mekhri Circle in three phases. We are also planning to build an elevated road from Tumakuru Road to K.R. Puram to form the Outer Ring Road (ORR)," he explained.

"We had decided to acquire some Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) land from the Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE) Road authorities, but they raised objections. NICE believes that it is bigger than the government. Therefore, we will find an alternative route. We know how to teach them a lesson. We have identified alternative BDA land for the skydeck project. Due to issues related to aircraft navigation towers, the skydeck will be built at a suitable location," Shivakumar said.

- IANS