Govt plans Rs 350-cr traffic improvement

PROJECT FOR BANGALORE
Govt plans Rs 350-cr traffic improvement
Deccan Herald

A 10-point programme will be prepared jointly by the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP), Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) and the Police Department that will address issues related to roads, traffic management, parking and road safety, he said.

The State Government is planning to implement a Rs 350-crore Bangalore Traffic Improvement Project to tackle traffic problems in the City, Chief Minister H D Kumaaraswamy informed the Legislative Assembly on Monday.

Replying to a call attention notice from N L Narendra Babu and K Chandrashekar (both Congress) Mr Kumaaraswamy said the proposed project would be implemented during the next five years. The Chief Minister said Rs 44 crore had already been earmarked in the 2006-07 budget.

A 10-point programme will be prepared jointly by the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP), Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) and the Police Department that will address issues related to roads, traffic management, parking and road safety, he said.

Pointing out that as many as 900 vehicles were being registered in Bangalore every day, Mr Kumaaraswamy said the number of vehicles had increased from 10 lakh in 1996 to 23 lakh in 2006. The vehicle load was particularly dense on Hosur, Airport, Bellary, Mysore, Kanakapura, Old Madras and Tumkur roads. Several new flyovers and a core ring road has been planned to decongest the city’s traffic, he said.

Road repairs

Mr Kumaaraswamy said the BMP had set aside adequate funds for road repairs in all wards. The government has already taken a decision to recruit 992 traffic constables, he said and added that local area committees had been formed for management of traffic at different junctions.