BENGALURU: BJP MLA SR Vishwanath said on Tuesday that Bengaluru needs at least Rs 10,000 crore annually for infrastructure maintenance and other works.
Speaking in the Legislative Assembly, he said the city’s civic body is struggling to pay salaries to its staff. It is facing a severe shortage of funds. It has no money even to fill potholes. With no elected body in place for five years, officials are running the civic body without any transparency and accountability.
They don’t even share information related to development works with the city MLAs, he alleged. Stating that a significant portion of taxes collected in Bengaluru is used for the development of other parts of the state, Vishwanath underscored the need to prioritise the city’s development. The situation in Bengaluru is not in favour of the ruling Congress now. That is why the government is hesitating to conduct civic body elections, he said.
Vishwanath said the government’s proposed tunnel road project, estimated at Rs 17,000 crore, has come under severe criticism. The project planned on the BOOT (Build-Own-Operate-Transfer) basis needs 22.36 acres of land, which will be handed over to the winning bidder for 54 years.
On the tunnel road project, Vishwanath cited the government’s earlier decision to drop the Ballari road-widening project following a Supreme Court directive to pay over Rs 3,000 crore as compensation for 13 acres of land owned by the Mysuru royal family.
“When this is the situation, how will the government implement this project?” he said. The winning bidder may construct a mall or commercial complexes on the land even after collecting a toll of Rs 19 per km one way for 54 years, he said.
Warning that Bengaluru could face a severe drinking water crisis, he said people of Mandya have been opposing supply of Cauvery water to the city. Water from the Yettinahole project is yet to reach Sakleshpur though work on it was launched several years ago. Water from Yettinahole may not reach Bengaluru in the near future, he added.
Taking exception to imposition of taxes, MLA Satish Reddy said notices have been issued to many house owners for non-payment of property tax. If owners of commercial complexes evaded tax, no notice will be issued to them. They only take action against individuals who struggle to buy sites and construct houses, spending their hard-earned money, he alleged.