BENGALURU: The Karnataka Budget 2024-25, tabled in the state legislature, offers a glimpse into how the Karnataka government thinks about Bengaluru, the biggest economic engine. The BBMP budget, which will come soon, will offer more insights into what’s in store for our city, but the state budget does set the direction.
The Shakti scheme has infused new energy into BMTC and, even more importantly, the priority the organisation gets from the state government in terms of fund allocation. With 42 lakh daily commuters, BMTC is the lifeline of our city and deserves all the financial support from the state government. 2,154 new buses is the kind of news bus advocates have been waiting to hear for decades.
2023 has been a landmark year for Bengaluru in terms of fighting traffic congestion. With the Shakti and Purple line extension to Metro, daily commuters on public transport increased by nearly 30% -- 2024 looks promising as the yellow line becomes operational and new buses join the fleet. The government should have taken bold steps to further strengthen public transport, instead of also trying to build a tunnel which is likely to take a long time with limited impact. Though mobility science and experience from other cities established that “move people, not vehicles” must be the guiding principle of any city, our policymakers continue to spend precious public money on archaic ideas. The fact that no new flyovers have been proposed is a positive sign, while the sheer amount of money poured into white topping makes little sense when so many outer areas have no roads to begin with.
Lack of coordinated planning and execution across transport agencies is a well-known problem in Bengaluru, and yet, the BMLTA makes no mention while some expert organisations are seen as giving us solutions. BMLTA is critical for Brand Bengaluru and I urge the government to establish BMLTA without further delay.
The record tax collection in Bengaluru is a positive sign of improved local governance. BBMP must be commended for addressing the complex issues of tax collection to a great extent. Both state and union governments benefit enormously from all the taxes paid by citizens of Bengaluru, but the BBMP is often found without money to run the city and looks for grants from the state. The only long-term solution for this is the State Finance Commission. As Karnataka raised the issues of devolution formula, rightly so, from the Centre to state, it must also look at state finances and how they are devolved to cities and panchayats.
Karnataka has been a role model for decentralisation, but we haven’t moved in that direction in the recent decades. Developing other cities finds prominent mention in the budget, which is welcome, but unrealistic without devolving funds and functionaries to district and city level. Building infrastructure is important, but equally important is the political and economic empowerment of districts and cities.
A positive development in terms of governance is the formation of a Climate Change Management division in the BBMP with a broader jurisdiction. As Bengaluru becomes India’s third city to adopt a Climate Action Plan, the governance structures to deliver on that action plan become critical. Public participation, a forgotten subject, finds mention in this context. Without public participation at the grassroots, our city cannot fight the many challenges in preserving the character of our city represented by our lakes, parks and green cover.
Though it finds zero mention in the budget, I certainly hope the government will hold elections to the BBMP at the earliest, without which there is no public scrutiny or accountability. We need our corporators and mayor (2.5-year tenure) to take office as soon as possible.
Srinivas alavilli
civic activist