Conspicuous by their absence are the Peripheral Ring Road and Elevated Corridor projects, two mega road infrastructure projects for the city.
The Peripheral Ring Road (PRR), which was fast-tracked by the State government — Chief Secretary has been chairing review meetings every Friday — surprisingly finds no mention in the Budget.
The BDA recently held multiple meetings with farmers whose lands have to be acquired for the project over compensation and the latest proposal before the State government pegged the cost at over ₹8,800 crore. “The project was allocated ₹1,000 crore in last year’s Budget, which is yet to be spent. No mention in the Budget doesn’t mean the government is not committed to implement the project,” said a senior Urban Development Department official. The BDA Commissioner was not available for comment.
Meanwhile, the absence of the elevated corridor project seems to have drawn cheers among civic activists. A group of BJP city MLAs had lobbied hard for funds to be allocated to it, drawing ire from civic activists who have been opposing the project for three years.
New law welcomed
Bengaluru
: The Budget has committed to a new governance act specific for Bengaluru, a long standing demand, and also a promise in the Bharatiya Janata Party manifesto in 2018.
“Compared to other cities, the nature of problems and issues are complex and has posed a major challenge to the administrative management of the city. To provide effective administration and citizen services, a Municipal Corporation Act, specific to Bengaluru city, will be formulated,” the Budget says.
“This is a path-breaking initiative and the need of the hour,” BBMP Commissioner B.H. Anil Kumar.
There is a draft prepared by the BBMP Restructuring Committee before the State government that proposes a three-tier governance structure – ward committees and corporation apart from Greater Bengaluru Authority, chaired by the Chief Minister at the regional level. The Draft Bill keeps the option of directly elected Mayor or Mayor in council, open for the State government to choose. BJP MP from the city Tejasvi Surya has been arguing for a directly elected mayor for a period of five years.
“Unless we fix the governance structure, no reforms will pay dividends. The city cannot be fixed without governance reforms. A dedicated law for city governance is the first step towards this,” said V. Ravichandar, former member of BBMP Restructuring Committee.
