The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Grants for old projects repackaged

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Friday, Jul 18, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Grants for old projects repackaged

Staff Reporter

BDA to spend Rs. 700 crore on civic amenities, Rs. 100 crore to be spent by BWSSB

Bangalore: The State Budget for 2008-09 proposes to spend about Rs. 1,800 crore for infrastructure development in Bangalore city.

However, a major portion of this allocation had been made either for the already announced projects or the ongoing projects, and no major new project has been announced.

The Budget makes no mention about promises such as direct election of Mayor for the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), formation of metropolitan planning council, decentralisation of city administration, and adopting a new urban planning made in the Bharatiya Janata Party’s election manifesto to “reinvent” Bangalore.

However, there is good news for the people living in areas which were added recently to the Bangalore city following formation of Greater Bangalore.

As much as Rs. 800 crore will be spent by Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) to provide basic amenities to these areas, which have poor civic amenities.

While the BDA will spend Rs. 700 crore from its pocket to provide roads, drainage and drinking water supply in the newly added areas, the Government has allocated Rs. 100 crore to the BWSSB to supply drinking water in some newly added areas through borewells.

This measure has reduced the burden on the BBMP to provide basic amenities to the new areas.

The Budget has allocated Rs. 300 crore to the BBMP, which had not received any financial support in the Budget presented during President’s rule.

The present allocation to the BBMP is Rs. 50 crore higher than the allocation made in 2007 when the Greater Bangalore was formed.

BBMP Commissioner S. Subramanya said that he was happy with the fund allocation and it would be utilised in consultation with the elected representatives.

Meanwhile, the BDA will spend Rs. 350 crore to build 10 flyovers and underpasses to decongest the Outer Ring Road (ORR) by spending an average Rs. 35 crore a project.

Parking facility

In a bid to provide more parking facilities in the city, the State Government in its budget has approved the parking policy to be undertaken in public-private-partnership as proposed by the BBMP. Parking facilities under PPP was one of the promises made by the BJP in the election manifesto.

It approved BBMP’s proposal to develop 40 multi-level parking slots under PPP.

As against Rs. 600 crore provided in 2007-08, the present budget has earmarked Rs. 240 crore to improve identified roads in and around Bangalore, mainly by the Public Works Department.

Ongoing projects like BDA’s Nadaprabhu Kempe Gowda Layout (at a cost of Rs. 2,610 crore) and 65-km peripheral ring road (at a cost of Rs 3,000 crore); BWSSB’s Cauvery Stage IV project (at a cost of Rs 3,400) find a mention in the budget. About Rs. 700 core had been earmarked for the Bangalore Metro Rail project for 2008-09 as against Rs. 173 crore in 2007-08.

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