As Karnataka’s Assembly elections approach, the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government has announced a populist budget with Bengaluru receiving several goodies.
From free bus passes for all students to the setting up closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in buses under the Nirbhaya Scheme, the Karnataka government has announced an allocation of Rs 2,500 crore for the “comprehensive development of Bengaluru”.
Siddaramaiah announced that the detailed project report for the 105.55 km Phase III of Namma Metro will be commissioned.
The proposed lines of Namma Metro will ply between JP and KR Puram via Hebbal, Toll Gate to Kadabagere, Gottigere to Basavapura, RK Hegde Nagar to Aerospace Park, Kogilu Cross to Rajanakaunte, Bommasandra to Attibele and Ibaluru to Karmalram. With this, the total length of Bengaluru metro rail will reach 266 km.
The state budget has also allocated Rs 384 crore for the first phase of the suburban rail network in the city.
Siddaramaiah also announced the rejuvenation of the Tippagondanahalli and Hesaraghatta reservoirs at a cost of Rs 340 core. Around 2.5 TMC of water available from the Yethinahole project will be supplied for Bengaluru’s drinking-water needs.
With this, by 2021, around 200 MLD water will be supplied to Bengaluru city, every day.Siddaramaiah
For the rejuvenation of the infamous Bellandur Lake, Rs 50 crore has been allocated.
Development of 77 lakes has been taken up in 2017-18 at a cost of Rs 312 crore, out of which development of 37 lakes has been completed. The remaining 40 lakes will be completed by end of December 2018.Siddaramaiah
The state budget has also proposed the white-topping of all arterial roads and sub-arterial roads in the next five years. Initially, white-topping will be taken up for the length of 150 km in 2018-19. Roads in 110 villages, which were included in Bengaluru in 2005, will be developed. Fourteen roads providing alternative connectivity to ITPL will also be developed as to avoid bottlenecks caused due to the construction of Namma Metro Phase II in the Whitefield area.
The construction of a road from Basavanna Temple going through Kukkenahalli and Mathkuru joining Rajanukunte-Madhure has been proposed as an alternative to the road passing through Byatha village of Bengaluru North and Hesaraghatta Farm joining Rajanukunte-Madhure. The government has allocated Rs 12 crore for this project.
Road-widening projects at the cost of Rs 32 crore have been proposed. This will include the widening of the Bidadi-Harohalli road.
Siddaramaiah also announced that an agreement has been signed to take up the Cauvery Water Supply Scheme Stage-V with assistance from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) at a cost of Rs 5,500 crore, which is expected to be completed in 2023.
With this, additional 775 MLD Cauvery water will be provided to Bengaluru city, every day, and wastewater treatment units and wastewater main sewers will be established in 110 villages. By all the above measures, 2,375 MLD water will be supplied to Bengaluru city every day by the end of 2023.Siddaramaiah
He also announced a policy which will be formulated to meet the additional water requirements of cities in Karnataka to process wastewater. The wastewater reuse scheme will be taken up on a pilot basis in 10 cities during the 2018-19 fiscal.
A business park near the Kempegowda International Airport, the Bengaluru Signature Business Park, has been sanctioned at a cost of Rs 935 crore.
The government has also allocated Rs 100 crore for establishing a high-security branch in the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison.
Siddaramaiah also announced the construction of multi-storeyed parking based on a PPP model at Gandhibazar, near Sukhsagar Hotel in Gandhinagar, near Koramangala 4th stage, near Jayanagar Complex and in the Corporation HQ.
The state government is also in the process of formulating a scheme to replace existing conventional street lights with LED lights for the conservation of electricity.Siddaramaiah
The civic workers, who have been demanding adequate representation in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, have also got relief. One member from the pourakarmika community will now be nominated as a member of BBMP.
The government has also announced the establishment monitoring cell in the Directorate of Municipal Administration level to reduce the unaccounted leakage of water, targeting 5 percent reduction in present leakage in all cities of AMRUT Abhiyan during 2018-19.
(This article was originally published on The News Minute and has been republished here with permission)
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