TOI

From a special municipal act to the lion’s share of allocations, Bengaluru has received, at least on paper, the attention it deserves. In the state budget for 2020-21, chief minister BS Yediyurappa on Thursday announced allocation of Rs 9,771 crore for Bengaluru-centric projects and plans. Of this, Rs 8,772 crore is meant for overall development and Rs 999 crore for solid waste management.But as Karnataka has been struggling with its finances, it remains to be seen how much money from the budget proposals reaches implementing agencies in the course of this year.There are some reasons for scepticism. Last fiscal, 2019-20, funding of Rs 8,334 crore was announced as part of the CM Nava Nagarothana scheme. So far, civic body BBMP has received only Rs 860 crore. Yediyurappa, however, said in his speech on Thursday that the scheme will be implemented in the financial year 2020-21.The latest budget tries to address Bengaluru’s three main problems of chaotic planning, mobility crisis and crumbling solid waste management system. The government has approved an action plan with a grant of Rs 999 crore to make Bengaluru a model city in solid waste management.He also announced over Rs 5,550 crore for the Cauvery Phase V project, which seeks to supply 775 million litres of water to Bengaluru, and another Rs 1,000 crore for upgrading sewage treatment plants (STPs).However, of the Rs 5,552 crore cleared for the Cauvery project by the cabinet earlier, only Rs 800 crore will come this year. The funding for the STP plan will come from the budget of Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB).BWSSB has an outlay of Rs 1,452 crore, including funds from Japan International Cooperation Agency, for the year, which it is likely to get. In the state budget, Rs 100 crore has been set aside for preservation of lakes, Rs 500 crore for re-laying of roads damaged by BWSSB works in 110 villages, Rs 200 crore for road safety, and Rs 100 crore for new diesel buses for BMTC . A sum of Rs 12 crore has been allocated to a vehicle tracking project.Funds have also been earmarked for long-term projects such as the suburban rail, Metro corridor along Outer Ring Road, multi-modal transport hub on the outskirts of Bengaluru, 12 high-density traffic corridors and 11.5MW waste-to-energy project in Bidadi. Many of these projects are spillovers from previous years and it’s unlikely that all of them will be implemented in one year.In a major announcement, the chief minister said a separate Municipal Corporation Act would be framed for the country’s tech capital as its problems and requirements were complex. The city will be excluded from the Karnataka Municipal Act, 1976.BBMP commissioner BH Anil Kumar toldthat he had proposed a separate act for the city and was glad that Yediyurappa announced it. “We will now begin to formulate the act and the nuances will be worked out in the course of the year. We should have this ready by next year,” he said. Some other programmes and projects, which also featured in previous budgets, are Shubra Bengaluru scheme, expansion of Mysuru Road, and procurement of electric buses under the Centre’s FAME-II push.