More buses, metros and 'clean Bengaluru' plan: City gets Rs 8,772 crore in budget

Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) will purchase 1500 diesel buses at a cost of Rs 600 crore in order to accommodate BMTC’s fleet.

news Karnataka Budget

The Karnataka state budget presented on Thursday in the Assembly has prioritised solid waste management, public transport and traffic management in Bengaluru. The state government has allocated Rs 8,772 crore for Bengaluru’s development of which Rs 8,344 crore has been approved for the Chief Minister’s Nava Nagarottana Scheme.

The state government has also proposed bringing in a new Municipal Corporation Act that outlines governance of Bengaluru City alone, in view of the issues plaguing the city’s administration.

Public Transport

Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is purchasing 1500 diesel buses at a cost of Rs 600 crore in order to accommodate BMTC’s fleet for the current population of the city. The state government will provide Rs 100 crore per annum for seven years in the form of a loan subsidy to BMTC for acquiring the new buses.

The state government has proposed the extension of two metro lines spanning 12.8 km from Mysuru Road to Kengeri, and between Kanakapura Road and Anjanapura township. The works will be commissioned this year. The CM also announced the construction of skywalks at 24 metro stations for commuters.

The government has also proposed the construction of a 56-km Outer Ring Road from Central Silk Board junction to Bengaluru International Airport via KR Puram and Hebbal. The project is estimated to cost Rs 14,500 crore and works will begin this year.

The government has also commissioned the preparation of a detailed project report (DPR) for the construction of a 44-km metro line from Hebbal to JP Nagar. The state government also allocated Rs 500 crore for the suburban rail network.

The government has also announced adding 300 air-conditioned electric buses BMTC’s fleet and Rs 100 crore has been allocated for adding 500 ordinary electric buses to the fleet of the corporation. The government has proposed introducing electric bike taxis as a last mile connectivity solution. It has also proposed 12 new Bus Priority Lanes.

The state government has proposed establishing an ‘Integrated Multi Modal Transport Hub’ in the outskirts of Bengaluru city, to reduce heavy vehicle density in the city.

Clean Bengaluru

The state government has allocated Rs 999 crore for solid waste management under “Clean Bengaluru” scheme. Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa announced that the works under this scheme will begin from the 2020-21 fiscal itself.

“Lakes are getting polluted with sewage water making its way into them. In order to prevent this and also for comprehensive development of lakes, an action plan of Rs.100 crore has been approved under “Shubhra Bengaluru”,” BS Yediyurappa said.

In the previous budgets, Rs 317 crore was already earmarked for lake development. The Rs 100 crore will be added to the existing fund for lake rejuvenation under the Chief Minister’s Nave Nagarottana scheme.

The government has allocated Rs 200 crore for desilting storm water drains in the city in order yo avoid flooding of low-lying areas during the monsoon. Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is already constructing water supply pipeline and a sewage system in the 110 villages merged that were added to BBMP limits. The state government has allocated Rs 1,000 crore for reconstruction of roads damaged due to the construction works. The fund will be released in two equal instalments over the next two years.

The government has also proposed to modernise existing sewage treatment plants (STPs) and increase the capacity to processing capacity of the STPs to 1587 million litres by the end of 2020-21. An allocation of Rs 1,000 crore has been set aside for this project. Rs 5,500 crore has also been allocated for the 5th Phase of Cauvery Water Supply scheme.