The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : No JNNURM funds for road upgradation projects in city

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 03, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

No JNNURM funds for road upgradation projects in city

Afshan Yasmeen

BBMP upset as many projects have been planned under the scheme

Rs. 1,600-crore projects planned with
JNNURM funds
Centre says roads are not a priority under
the mission

BANGALORE: Bangalore’s roads have been in a steady state of decline. The reasons for this are now becoming clear. Proposals for upgrading them have been delayed as the Union Government has refused funding for all road development projects planned by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) under the Jawarharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), a seven-year mission to modernise urban infrastructure in cities with funds provided jointly by the Centre, State and local corporations.

Highly placed sources in the BBMP told The Hindu on Tuesday that the Centre had rejected all road development proposals planned by the BBMP under JNNURM on the grounds that “roads are not a priority under the mission.” That apart, the Centre had also stopped the second instalment of JNNURM funds to BBMP as the State Government was yet to put in place an elected body (BBMP Council) and area sabhas, which are mandatory for funding under the scheme.

This has disappointed the civic body as almost all the road infrastructure projects including grade separators and flyovers are dependent on JNNURM funds. Of the Rs. 3,312-crore BBMP budget, projects worth Rs. 1,600 crore have been planned to be executed with JNNURM funds. While the BBMP will have to bear half of the project cost, the State Government will provide 15 per cent funding. The remaining 35 per cent will be through JNNURM.

“But with our road projects not being considered, we will have to arrange for the expected 35 per cent JNNURM amount and also the cost escalation as the projects had been planned almost a year ago,” the sources said.

This means work on all grade separators and development of 170 kilometres of arterial and sub-arterial roads — all at a total cost of Rs.1,000 crore will be hit. The BBMP had planned to construct grade separators at Puttenahalli, IISc Junction, Kadirenahalli, RV Teachers College Circle, Yeshwantpur Circle, Tagore Circle, Nagawara Circle and Gali Anjaneya Temple junction. Though work on the Malleswaram grade separator has started, it has been delayed by several months. “As it was required to prepare a Comprehensive Transport and Traffic Plan (CTTP) to be eligible for JNNURM funds, we got it readied after surveying the city for over a 15-month period. Now the entire plan is redundant as roads are not a priority,” sources said.

Terming it as a “big blow” to the civic body, BBMP Commissioner S. Subramanya said: “I hope we can meet the deficit if we improve our revenue base and tap all unassessed property.” There is a potential to collect more than Rs. 200 crore as advertisement tax in the city if done systematically.”

Assuring that none of the projects would be delayed, Mr. Subramanya said that the expanded city obviously required more funds for infrastructure development.

“We do not plan to increase the tax rate or impose new tax. In the existing system, we will have to become self-sufficient. We have also asked for additional grants of Rs.100 crore from the State Government.”

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