The BJP’s manifesto promises to ‘re-imagine Bengaluru’ by tackling major pain points of the citizens — traffic and transport, waste management, safety and zoning regulations.
A ‘Nava Bengaluru Act’ to cater to the ‘unique needs of Bengaluru’ tops the list. The Congress, which had released its manifesto earlier, had mentioned ‘a city ombudsman office’ to act as a regulator for all civic services, and a ‘Greater Bengaluru Authority’ with multiple city corporations.
What generated positive reviews from sections of citizens was the inclusion of zoning regulations in the manifesto — which was missing in that of the Congress.
The manifesto speaks of instituting an ‘inclusive zoning process in the model of Japanese Zoning to reduce housing prices, ensure better city planning and prevent residential areas from becoming areas of commercial activity’.
Transport
Apart from traffic management, catering to popular demand, the BJP manifesto mentions the suburban rail, promising to establish ‘B-RIDE (Bengaluru Railway Infrastructure Development Corporation) to complete the Bengaluru suburban rail network using the ₹17,000 crore provided by the central government’.
Metro expansion has also found mention, including extending the new R.V. Road to Bommasandra line to Attibele, and the Purple Line till Hoskote Bus Terminus through Kadugodi on one side and up to Bidadi Bus Terminus through Kengeri on the other side.
A ‘novel method of transport’ proposed is to ‘liaise with the DGCA to enable more helicopter travel on multiple routes within, from and to the city’, and bicycle hubs.
Safety
After numerous exchanges on social media with the Congress about law and order, the BJP has dedicated significant space to the subject. Doubling the number of police stations, filling up vacant posts in the police force, increasing the number of women police stations, women-only GPS-enabled bus services from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., and ‘Kittur Rani Chennamma Flying Squads’ to attend to distress calls of women in Bengaluru quickly are the promises made.
Environment
The BJP has vowed to introduce 100% recycling of sewage generated in the city and make Bengaluru a ‘Zero Garbage’ city, apart from installing air quality monitors in every ward and a ₹2,500 crore ‘Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Fund’ to clean and revive lakes and rivers of Bengaluru.
