BENGALURU: Karnataka is among the fastest-growing states in the country. While the state continues to maintain robust growth, many key infrastructure initiatives, including airports, public transportation, and irrigation projects, have been on hold for decades due to procedural delays, lack of resources, and lack of political will to implement them in a time-bound manner.
In former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda’s hometown, Hassan, a greenfield airport project that was launched 20 years ago is yet to be completed. The greenfield airport at Vijayapura cannot take off as the state government has not obtained environmental clearance.
In Namma Bengaluru, the tech capital of the country, the State Government is going ahead with the implementation of a tunnel road project despite opposition from experts and civil society. However, barring Namma Metro, not much progress has been achieved in mobility in one of the fastest-growing cities in the world. Irrigation and drinking water projects that could transform drought-prone districts are stuck due to various reasons, including environmental clearance and alleged fund crunch.
As Chief Minister Siddaramaiah prepares to present the state budget on March 6, TNIE does an audit of unkept promises by successive governments to remind the political class that planning without performance does not serve people’s cause.