Bengaluru: Bengaluru Development Minister K.J. George announced on Tuesday that no toll will be levied on motorists immediately after the steel flyover is completed. Toll collection is subject to completion of a network of elevated corridors of which the steel flyover will be a part of, he added.
The cabinet on September 28, while approving the project, had authorised the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) to levy a toll after completion. The decision is expected to run into legal trouble as the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act, 1976, bars levying of toll within city limits.
Mr. George said, “The network of elevated corridor (120 km) criss-crossing the city is the larger mobility plan that the administration is working on. It will cost around Rs. 25,000 crore for which we are seeking private investment. These elevated roads will have to be tolled. At that juncture, when the steel flyover will also be a part of this network, we will take a call on how to toll the flyover.”
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Mr. George and the BDA top brass refused to disclose how they will raise funds for the flyover. “The BDA will be funding the project,” said the minister, but refused to elaborate.
BDA officials said that they may seek a loan from Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation (KIUDFC). “We don’t need to levy toll to fund the project,” a senior BDA official said.