The projects taken up under Bengaluru Mission 2022 for upgrading the city’s infrastructure to address the growing population and number of vehicles will receive budgetary allocation and will be reviewed every six months for progress, Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa said here on Thursday. A task force will be set up to supervise the projects.
“There will be no shortage of funds and adequate provision will be made in the ensuing Budget,” Mr. Yediyurappa told presspersons here after launching Bengaluru Mission 2022.
Projects have been identified in four key areas — mobility, clean Bengaluru, green Bengaluru, and digital services — to improve infrastructure, environment, and government services over the next two years.
According to Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) administrator Gaurav Gupta, the four key areas for development were taken up after identifying eight pressing issues in the city. “All the projects are achievable, discussions with change leaders have been held, and partners have been identified. Some projects that have long gestation may take a little longer. A task force will be set up to monitor the work,” he said. Simultaneously, there will be other projects taken up by the BBMP and other civic agencies, he added.
To a question on accountability in progress of work, Mr. Yediyurappa said, “I assure you that the project’s progress will be reviewed once every six months. I will inspect the projects every six months.”
Explaining the mission, Mr. Gupta said, “Over the past 30 years, the number of vehicles has increased four-fold while open space in the city is 78% lower than the prescribed standard. Nearly 65% of the city’s population is under the age of 35 and is tech-savvy. For them, public services need to be digitalised.”
While Mr. Yediyurappa promised adequate funding through budgetary provisions, when asked about the quantum of funds required, the officials did not provide any specifics. Additional Chief Secretary Rakesh Singh said, “Finances are connected for all the projects. The State and Union governments will fund the projects.”
Many of the projects announced as part of the mission also lacked specifics, and some of them were old projects brought into the mission now. Projects will also be taken up under public-private partnership model.
Asked if the government had all the details on raja kaluve encroachments, Chief Secretary T.M. Vijay Bhaskar said that on the 800-km stretch of raja kaluves , about 2,500 encroachments have been identified and about 1,500 encroachments removed. “Removal of the rest of the encroachments was stopped because of a court order and COVID-19. The High Court has now permitted their removal,” he said.
On the status of whitetopping of roads, Mr. Gupta clarified that what has been started will be completed, while new whitetopping projects would be reviewed.
Deadline for roadworks
Urban Development Minister B.A. Basavaraj on Thursday said that all major road works under the Smart City project would be completed by March-April 2021. Acknowledging that there has been a delay in completion of works because of rains and COVID-19, he said he has been regularly reviewing the progress of work. “All major roadworks will be completed in March-April 2021,” he said. The ongoing work on major roads in the central parts of the city has thrown the flow of traffic haywire.
Repurposing PSU land
A large green space in the now-defunct Mysore Lamps factory and NGEF is being planned to be developed for other purposes.
The Bengaluru Culture, Heritage and Crafts Museum has been planned at NGEF along with a contemporary public recreational space and cultural event hub. There are also plans to house Itihaasa, Bengaluru’s technology history — an interactive digital showcase of the city’s journey — at Mysore Lamps factory. Bengaluru Innovation Centre will also be set up on the premises.
Key projects under Bengaluru Mission 2022
* Development of 190-km stretch on 12 high density corridors
* Bringing 400-km stretch of arterial roads under annual maintenance contract
* Restoration of 25 lakes and monitoring water quality in 20 lakes
* Waterway beautification of raja kaluves
* Setting up learning centres on composting and zero waste homes
* Two mega tree parks in city suburbs on an area of over 400 acres
* Redesign of Sahaya portal, a one-stop platform for grievance redressal.
* Online access to citizen services
* Online access to road history
