BENGALURU: Aiming to rejuvenate Bengaluru, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai allocated Rs 8,409 crore for the state capital to beef up infrastructure, green the city and improve citizens’ convenience. The allocation is Rs 614 crore over last year’s outlay of Rs 7,795 crore.
Experts and officials said some announcements in the budget are extensions of earlier proposals but now have set deadlines. They pointed to granting of Rs 1,500 crore to develop mega stormwater drains and rajakaluves, which the CM made after assessing the ground situation, as he holds the Bengaluru Development portfolio.
To improve infrastructure, CM formulated the Amruth Nagarothana scheme and allocated Rs 6,000 crore for the next three years to focus on the development of roads, grade separators, lakes and parks, besides solid waste management, street lights and slum development.
Some experts were also critical of the budget allocation, saying it was done with an eye on the upcoming BBMP elections, with projects like converting 6 lakh B-Khata sites to A-Khata, skywalk at Banashankari junction at a cost of Rs 45 crore, and decongesting Goraguntepalya junction.
On reviving Bengaluru’s green cover, one expert said: “CM has announced the formation of a tree park, but with a new name -- Atal Bihari Vajpayee Park -- on 350 acres of Jarakabande land in Yelahanka, on the Cubbon Park-Lal Bagh model. Tree parks are being renamed Green Expo on the Singapore model, on 105 acres of NGEF land to demonstrate eco-friendly technology.”
Horticulture and forest officials stated that these projects were shelved six months ago due to opposition from locals, and wondered how the projects were included. Srinivas Alavilli, Head, Civic Participation, Janaagraha, said: “There were a lot of expectations from this year’s budget due to impending BBMP elections, but credit to the CM for not going overboard with promises that cannot be fulfilled due to lack of capacity. What Bengaluru needs is massive influx of funding for restoring lakes, and I don’t see that in this budget.”
Addressing the water needs of Bengaluru, the CM allocated Rs 1,000 crore to Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir project, and set a target of 2024-25 for completion of Cauvery Stage-5 project to bring 775 million litres of water to Bengaluru at a cost of Rs 5,550 crore, of which so far Rs 1,556 crore has been spent. Naresh Narasimhan, noted architect, said the budget is comprehensive and focused. He said Bommai has tried to maintain a balance between ecology and economy, and given Bengaluru more attention.
Jewellery Park
A mega jewellery park will come up in Bengaluru under the PPP model, to provide employment to 10,000 people, facilitate goldsmiths, jewellery workers and micro and small enterprises. Experts said this was part of the Union budget’s scheme to promote local industries.
BOUNTY FOR CITY
CM announced roads, underground drainage system and sewage water treatment plant will be built at a cost of D404 crore in Banashanakri, 6th Stage, Anjanapura
Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout will be developed as a modern smart city
Work on the Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project will commence soon. The Rs 15,267-crore project will be completed by 2026
Cauvery Water Supply Scheme Stage-5 expected to be completed by end of FY 2024-2025