What does the budget have for Bengaluru?

March 15, 2017 02:46 pm | Updated 03:44 pm IST - Bengaluru

The 2017-18 budget lays focus on improving road network, giving fillip to public transport and pedestrian safety facilities in Bengaluru.

The budget has earmarked ₹ 345 crore for implementation of Phase – I of suburban rail and has announced the addition of 3000 new buses to BMTC. Out of the 3000 buses, 1500 new buses will be purchased by BMTC through loans to be repaid by the state government and the remaining 1500 buses will be procured on a lease basis. The budget has also announced 150 electric buses and introduction of cycle as a means of transport in the city soon. The government has announced that it intends to make Bengaluru the electric vehicle capital in the country.

The budget has renewed focus on pedestrian safety facilities in the city. Apart from announcing ₹ 200 crore to develop footpaths on 200 km long network of roads, 80 km long 43 roads to be white-topped will also add pedestrian facilities. The State government has announced a gap funding of ₹80 crore to give fillip to build skywalks under PPP model in the city.

The budget’s focus is also on improving the quality of road network in the city. Reiterating the TenderSURE and White-topping of roads, the budget earmarks a total of ₹ 350 crore for maintenance of 12 high speed corridors and traffic engineering works across the city. Public Works Department will develop 150 km long network of four roads on the city’s outskirts to reduce the traffic congestion in the city. The four new roads to be developed are Hoskote to Kempegowda International Airport through Budigere, Nelamangala to Byatha Road, Anekal to Hosakote through Sarjapura and Whitefield apart from road connecting Harohalli to Anekal Road via Jigani. PWD has set aside ₹1455 crore for development of these roads.

Budget has also announced nine new grade separators in the city, without listing the junctions. Silk Board and K.R. Puram junctions will be developed in collaboration with BMRCL, the budget has announced, making no allocation of funds.

Last budget, the State government had a massive outlay of ₹7300 crore for Bengaluru, which Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said is a grant spread over two years – 2016-17 and 2017-18 and works taken up last year at various stages of implementation will be completed by March 2018. Thus, the 2017-18 budget ends up repeating many initiatives from the last budget speech. However, there is no clarity on the progress of these works and the money spent during the closing fiscal.

Following the government's climb down on the controversial steel flyover project, the budget has earmarked ₹88 crore for widening Hebbal flyover and building a Railway Under Bridge at the junction. The project was part of the 2015-16 budget, but later scrapped as steel flyover was taken up and again now reintroduced after steel flyover has been scrapped. ₹ 50 crore has been earmarked to build 1000 new public toilets.

However, the budget is silent on the pressing challenges of rejuvenation of lakes, sanitary infrastructure and sewage treatment plants apart from solid waste management in the city. The budget has nothing new to offer on improving the STP infrastructure except repeating the projects underway, setting a 2020 deadline. Water supply for 110 villages will begin on April 1 and has been given a two year deadline.

The budget while it announces that Bellandur and Varthur tanks will be comprehensively developed, no funds have been earmarked for the same, like last budget. BDA will take up rejuvenation of 10 lakes at a cost of ₹42 crore, the budget mentions, that many activists feel is insufficient.

Sops for the city

The budget also has its focus on the urban poor and has announced a string of sops for them too, chief among them being free water supply to slums and Namma Canteens providing subsidised food. Mr. Siddaramaiah has adopted popular models from New Delhi and Tamil Nadu for the same.

The budget has announced that all residents of slums in Bengaluru living in 30 X 20 sites, will get free water supply till 10,000 litres per day and water tariff will be waived off for these connections. New Delhi under Aam Admi Party government has waived off water tariff upto 20,000 litres a month for all water connections, not just urban poor.

Mr. Siddaramaiah has also announced “Namma Canteen” for Bengaluru city, on the lines of Amma Canteens in Tamil Nadu. The budget has announced that the subsidised canteens will provide breakfast at ₹ 5, lunch and dinner at ₹10 to the common man at an affordable price. Namma Canteens will be set up one in each of 198 wards in Bengaluru city, at a cost of ₹100 crore.

The budget has also announced the chief minister's 1 lakh Bengaluru Housing Scheme, where government land will be given for cross-subsidised development of upto 25% for the urban poor.

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