BENGALURU: Ahead of the elections, the Basavaraj Bommai-led BJP government is expected to announce many infrastructural and developmental projects in the upcoming budget and a lion’s share is expected to be pumped into Bengaluru.
One of the major suggestions for the budget by experts and citizen activists is to not allot money for flyovers, underpasses and white topping works, but instead, invest the same in improving public transport. They batted for the improvement of lakes, footpaths, cycle lanes, construction of toilets, parks and playgrounds.
Citizen activist Srinivas Alavilli said that the biggest thing the state government can do for Bengaluru is to empower the city corporation with funds, functions and functionaries.
“Bengaluru is dependent on Cauvery water, which is pumped to the city from 100 km away. The cost of pumping the water to the city runs in hundreds of crores. Instead, all our lakes should be revived on a mission mode and 243 new mini lakes must be built,” he said.
He said he is expecting announcements in the budget to stop the flooding episodes in Bengaluru, and added that stormwater drains be reclaimed. Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority needs to become fully operational this year, with competent staff delivering on the mandate of sustainable and integrated public transport plus non-motorable transport, he said, and suggested that in order to make Bengaluru breathe better, other cities should be made attractive to employers by giving a major push to ‘Beyond Bengaluru’.
Activist Vinay Sreenivasa said that he is expecting the budget to have allocations to improve street vending by setting up godowns to store goods, which are otherwise stolen during the night. He said that the budget should provide two lakh vendors with toilets and drinking water facilities. “There are more than 1,000 bus stops in the city, without bus shelters. Bengaluru needs more playgrounds and parks. I expect the budget to deliver these,” he said.
Urging the government to avoid allocating funds for any flyover/underpass and white topping work, Ashish Verma, mobility expert from the Indian Institute of Science insisted that the budget should announce measures to disincentive personal vehicle ownership and usage.
“Speedy construction of a spider-web-like dense Mass Rapid Transport System network (suburban trains and metro) in Bengaluru needs allocation, along with subsidised BMTC travel. Both these allocations will make a good impact on shifting mode share towards public transport. An equally good share of the transport budget should go to the quality of footpaths and cycle lane infrastructure.” Ashish said.