Civic Agenda I - City Struggles With Growth As BCC Action Plan Gathers Dust

CIVIC AGENDA-1
Short memory, grim future
City Struggles With Growth As BCC Action Plan Gathers Dust
The TImes of India

What’s in store for Bangalore this year? We begin a series on the plans chalked out by the city’s key civic stakeholders for 2005 with the BCC’s agenda... Also, a reality check of their proposals made in the past.

Bangalore: Five years ago, the Bangalore City Corporation (BCC) had designed the “Bangalore Infrastructure Plan,’’ a vision document and action plan to be implemented in five years. The action plan, prepared by the then BCC commissioner K. Jairaj, is almost forgotten by the BCC. The Times of India revives it. Flashback to 2000.

PIPE DREAMS

Vision: Holistic and integrated approach to development; benchmark international urban successes and growth parameters; create distinct “Bangalore Identity’’; attain international standards in public health and sanitation.

Key features: Roads and traffic corridors; markets; area development programmes; parking; hygiene infrastructure; communication and capacity building.

Projects envisaged, deadlines: 27 flyovers and underpasses all along the north-south, western, eastern, south-eastern corridors. Deadline: all by June 2004. Five ROBs, RUBs at Lingarajpuram, Banaswadi, Nehru Circle, ITC Factory and Frazer Town, to be completed by March 2002.

Surface parking, off-street parking, conservancy parking by December 2000, six multi-storied parking complexes by December 2003. About 700 bus shelters, bus bays, bus terminals by April 2002. Construction and upgradation of seven markets by October 2004. Development of lakes, parks, stadia, halls by December 2003.

Cost: Amount for infrastructure creation — Rs 1,130 crore; financial source: borrowings Rs 730 crore, internal accruals Rs 300 crore and joint venture/Build Operate Transfer Rs 100 crore.

BENCHMARK FOR APATHY

A reality check gives a grim picture. Though the Bangalore Infrastructure Plan gives a rosy picture of what the city was projected to look like in 2005, the ground reality is quite contrary. Far from being a benchmark for international urban success, Bangalore today is nothing short of a haphazardly growing city with very less infrastructure that cannot keep pace with development.

Over the last five years, the BCC has constructed a flyover at Richmond Circle, another is in progress at National College Circle; an underpass at Mehkri Circle, another in progress at Rajajinagar entrance. Three ROB and RUBs at Lingarajpuram, Nehru Circle and Frazer Town; three more in progress. A few bus-shelters here and there have cropped up, though bus-bays are still a dream. Though roads are being asphalted every year with the BCC spending over Rs 150 crore, they do not last till monsoon.
Result: Bangalore has been crowned as the crumbling city.

PROJECTS FOR 2005

•Budget for 2004-05: Rs 1,285 crore.

•A masterplan for the city which lists out infrastructure projects to be implemented over the next three years at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore under a new banner — Future City Projects.

•1,000 km of roads to be asphalted at Rs 112 crore; flyovers and grade separators on Mysore Road-Chord Road junction, Minerva Circle, South End Circle, Yeshwanthpur Circle and Cauvery junction for which an allocation of Rs 120 crore has been made; 50 pedestrian subways and foot overbridges at a cost of Rs 80 crore; automated multi-level car parking complexes at six places at Rs 20 crore.

•Covering 500 km of major storm water drains to provide additional off-street car parking facility with an investment of Rs 100 crore; 300 km of pavements at a cost of Rs 50 crore; link road development in the command areas with World Bank assistance of Rs 100 crore; develop 100 more parks and boulevards at a cost of Rs 30 crore; develop avenue tree planting in road margins and fountains and ponds in open spaces; development of 200 playgrounds and construction of 20 new swimming pools at a total cost of 60 crore; improve and modernise streetlighting by on all the 250 km of arterial roads at Rs 20 crore.

•Groundwater recharging facilities through rain harvesting undertaken in the drains at a cost of Rs 20 crore.

•State-of-the-art convention centre on a three-acre plot on Airport Road on joint venture basis and set up 10 more day care centres for the senior citizens.