Most projects envisaged for the development of the city in the State Budget 2014–15 have remained on paper.
The budget proposed several development projects worth Rs. 9,476.83 crore to be taken up by various civic agencies, with funding under various State government schemes, loans from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and grants under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).
For the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the government earmarked Rs. 2,160 crore, which included Rs. 1,527 crore under the Nagarothana Scheme, 13th Finance Commission, State Finance Commission, Lake Development Scheme and Chief Minister’s Special Grant Scheme.
Bengaluru city in-charge Minister R. Ramalinga Reddy said the government had released over Rs. 1,000 crore under the Nagarothana Scheme for development of roads, footpaths and medians and another Rs. 300 crore for development of arterial and sub-arterial roads.
“The other projects were to be taken up by the BBMP with its own funding. But the financially-starved BBMP has huge amounts of pending bills and outstanding loans, and hence no contractor is coming forward to take up works for the civic body,” he said.
The projects proposed to be taken up under JNNURM have been put on the back burner with the Centre scrapping the scheme. The BBMP is now likely to resubmit the project proposals under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), he said.
BDA and BWSSBThe Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) too was to execute projects worth Rs. 7,316.86 crore, most of them with JNNURM funds and assistance from JICA. The agency has now applied for JICA assistance for the construction of Peripheral Ring Road proposed at Rs. 5,800 crore.
Similarly, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), apart from preparing the detailed project report to supply water to 110 villages in BBMP limits, has not achieved much progress.
