Steel flyover to pedestrian-only Brigade Road: What Bengaluru got in the budget

Presenting the state budget on Friday, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy announced that Rs 1.02 lakh crore will be set aside for the development of Bengaluru.

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From converting Brigade Road to a pedestrian-only street to focusing on the traffic problem, the Karnataka budget for the 2019-20 fiscal has proposed huge sops for the development of Bengaluru city. In addition, the controversial steel flyover project also made an appearance in this year’s budget.

On Friday, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy announced that Rs 1.02 lakh crore will be set aside for the development of Bengaluru.

“This year, the focus will be on effective garbage disposal and streamlining transport facilities,” Kumaraswamy said. However, most of the budgetray allocations for Bengaluru are merely for projects, what were started during Siddaramaiah's reign as the CM.

So what did Bengaluru get in the 2019-20 state budget?

A grant of Rs 1,000 crore has been set aside to construct elevated corridors. The state government has proposed the reconstruction of large storm water drains within a span of three years. It also plans to establish power generating plants out of the water processing units and solid waste processing units.

A grant of Rs 50 crore has been set aside for the implementation of a “comprehensive mobility scheme”. CM Kumaraswamy said, “Priority will be given to public transport and stabilisation of public transport. This will include all aspects and all types of movement facilities. We have also set aside a grant to increase the number of BMTC buses and develop at least 50 km of pedestrian roads.”

The budget also proposed the implementation of the Nava Bengaluru Kriya Yojane at an estimated cost of Rs 8,015 crore. A grant of Rs 2,300 crore has been set aside for the scheme for the current fiscal.

The government proposed the conversion of Brigade Road and Commercial Street into pedestrian-only stretches, considering the massive bottlenecks caused on these two roads. It has also allocated money for converting 5 lakh streetlights into LED.

The government also wants to set up a 400 metric tonne capacity solid waste processing unit under PPP. However, the CM did not specify where the plant is set to come up.

The government also plans to enact the ‘Parking Rules and Implementation Policy’ in the city, where parking facilities will be available for 10,000 vehicles in 87 selected smart parking systems.

A new underpass at Goragunttepalya has been proposed at the cost of Rs 195 crore. In addition, a loop construction along the existing Hebbal and KR Puram Flyovers has been proposed.

Establishment of a large ‘Constitution Museum’ in Bengaluru city to introduce the genesis and importance of our Constitution to the future generations for which Rs 20 crore has been provided.

Suburban rail and transport

The government has estimated the cost of constructing the suburban rail network at Rs 23,093 crore, which has been set aside for the current fiscal.

The government has also commissioned a feasibility study for the design of a Multi Modal Transport Hub at Hebbal, Byappannahalli, KR Puram, Kadugodi, Challaghatta and Peenya areas. It also proposed the construction of necessary infrastructure for the Inter-Modal Integration design in Bengaluru Metro, and Traffic and Transit Management Centres located at Yeshwantapur, Banashankari, Vijaynagar and Peenya.

It also proposed conversion of the metro rail from 3 coaches to 6 coaches for 50 trains in the city. In addition, charging facility will be made available for two-wheeler electric vehicles in selected 10 Metro stations and a small capacity of BMTC buses will provide last mile connectivity for selected 10 Metro stations.

The state government has also set aside Rs 16,579 crore for the Metro line from Silk Board junction to the Outer Ring Road-Airport via KR Puram and Hebbal.

After a delay of over two decades, the government has set aside Rs 1,000 crore for the construction of the Peripheral Ring Road in the 2019-20 fiscal. The project is estimated to cost Rs 17,200 crore.

The government is also mulling the construction of metro rails in Mysuru, Mangaluru and Hubballi-Dharwad.

Water supply and sewerage

The government allocated Rs 500 crore for the current fiscal for the construction of Cauvery Water Supply Scheme Stage V. The project is estimated at a cost of Rs 5,550 crore and is being constructed in partnership with the Japanese company, JICA.

The government proposed infrastructure changes to prevent 914 entry points where sewage is entering storm water drains and has allocated Rs 76.55 crore for the project.

The government also allocated Rs 9 crore for the establishment of 17 Continuous Water Quality Monitoring Stations at polluted lakes, including Bellandur, Agara tank and Varthur lakes.

Scheme for flow water into Arkavati and Dakshina Pinakini rivers using the water resources available in Bengaluru; BMRDA programme to harvest rainwater; protection and rejuvenation of all ponds and water bodies coming under the catchment areas; re-use of waste water after purifying; maintaining cleanliness in public places that are adjacent to Arkavati and Dakshina Pinakini rivers was also proposed. This scheme will ensure availability of 1400 MLD of additional water. A committee headed by the Chief Minister will be set up to implement this scheme for which a grant of Rs 50 crore has been set aside.