According to the sources, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has named veteran civil engineer M Lokesh as its new Chief Engineer (Road Infrastructure), signalling a fresh push to improve the city’s notoriously battered streets.
The Urban Development Department’s 27 May order moved Lokesh from the Planning-Central division to the pivotal road-building post after previous incumbent Prahlad B S had been holding the role as an additional charge. Prahlad will now focus on his other portfolio as Chief General Manager (Technical) at Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited, while BBMP officials have been instructed to report to their new assignments immediately and file Certificates of Taking Charge.
Lokesh’s appointment brings more than 22 years of in-house experience back to the roads wing. Starting as an Assistant Engineer, he has climbed every rung—AEE, EE, SE, and CE—earning a reputation for hands-on project delivery and tight budget control. Civic-activist groups have cautiously welcomed the move, noting that Bengaluru’s 14,000-km road network is mid-way through white-topping and TenderSURE upgrades. Lokesh’s first tasks will include expediting pothole-repair contracts before the southwest monsoon and finalising guidelines for AI-based road-health audits that BBMP plans to pilot this year.
Observers say a dedicated chief engineer, rather than a dual-hat appointment, could finally give Bengaluru’s commuters the smoother, safer rides they have long demanded.
