BENGALURU: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who also holds the Bengaluru development portfolio, said that Bengaluru has always set benchmarks rather than competing with other cities. “We are not in competition with anyone. Bengaluru leads, and others follow,” he said. Acknowledging challenges such as rapid population growth, Shivakumar said cities should be judged by their contribution, not complaints. Bengaluru has challenges, but it will succeed and continue to rise, he said.
Speaking in the Assembly on Thursday, Shivakumar said that Bengaluru continues to command global attention, with investors from across the world showing strong confidence in the city. “The entire country and the world are watching Bengaluru. People have confidence in our city and its potential. Following recent global developments, several companies from the U.S. and Europe are seeking appointments to discuss investments in Bengaluru,” he said, adding that while Bengaluru ranks sixth globally in a survey on top talent in the global tech market, Hyderabad stands at 26th.
“There is no need for us to compete with Hyderabad, Bengaluru is in a different league. Bengaluru is not competing with any city. Instead, other cities are following the path Bengaluru has set. The city has its own challenges, and we will handle them effectively. Many educated individuals, intellectuals, and political leaders have contributed to Bengaluru’s growth, and I thank them all. Let us all come together to build Bengaluru. Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success,” Shivakumar added.
On roads, the Deputy CM said that earlier population was 70 lakh and now it is 1.4 crore. There are about 1.3 lakh vehicles. In other cities, major roads account for about 16%, but in Bengaluru it is only around 8%. “Even the NICE road project was not fully completed.
If we had the Peripheral Ring Road been implemented earlier, it could have been completed at a cost of Rs 3,000 crore. All these factors have led to traffic congestion,” he said.
Shivakumar also said cities like Mumbai, Hyderabad and Delhi may have worse situations, yet more attention is on Bengaluru. “We have taken several measures to address traffic issues,’’ he said.
Shivakumar said at least Rs 24,000 crore is required for land acquisition for road widening in Bengaluru. “Since road widening within the city is not feasible, we have approached Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and the Prime Minister to take up tunnel road projects.
Mumbai is constructing 6-7 tunnel roads, and Bengaluru has no better alternative to ease congestion. At certain points, land acquisition for tunnel roads may cost Rs 2,000-3,000 crore, while construction will require about Rs 17,000 crore. Compared to other states, our project costs are lower-around Rs 700-800 crore per km, whereas elsewhere it is Rs 1,300 per km,” he said.
On Greater Bengaluru Authority, Shivakumar said at present it has 369 wards. “Bengaluru is not being divided under any circumstances. This is administrative decentralisation. Large projects need to be undertaken in Bengaluru, which require government support. Therefore, the CM has been made the head of the GBA. Bengaluru did not have a proper planning authority earlier, and that has now been addressed. The GBA will take decisions in this regard,” he said.
What else Deputy CM said
Digitisation of property records by scanning crores of pages of documents for which they introduced e-Khata
Bidadi township to ease pressure on Bengaluru
Steps to tackle waste management
New road plans: Buffer roads along stormwater drains, elevated corridors, double-deckers
Metro network, expansion of 350km planned in coming years