Plan to develop five integrated townships ready: Kumaraswamy

Plan to develop five integrated townships ready: Kumaraswamy

The Hindu

Chief Minister wants to make Bangalore a `model city'

# Kumaraswamy urges Prime Minister to grant Rs. 240 crore to tackle erosion
# Bangalore Mahanagara Palike has prepared a plan to widen 990 major arterial roads

BANGALORE: Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy said on Saturday that the State Government had prepared a plan for the development of integrated townships at Bidadi, Ramanagaram, Sathanur, Solur and Nandagudi in the public-private partnership mode.

Participating in the function to lay the foundation stone for the 10-lane mixed corridor to Electronics City here, Mr. Kumaraswamy said, "This a historic day. We are not just trying to build an elevated expressway to Electronics City, we are laying the foundation for a new Greater Bangalore."

In an oblique reference to the controversy dogging the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor project and the Government's plans to bring in legislation to take over the project or reclaim excess land from its promoter, Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise Ltd., Mr. Kumaraswamy said that he had an earnest desire to develop Bangalore into a "model city."

The Government was alive to the needs of the city and was taking steps to ensure that infrastructure matched the needs of the people. However, infrastructure development should not be at the unreasonable cost of any segment of society. "Urban infrastructure cannot and should not develop in a manner that inflicts suffering on rural and underprivileged sections of society," he said.

Mr. Kumaraswamy's list of road development projects with investment of over Rs. 3,000 crore over the next two years include a Rs. 1,800-crore Elevated Inner Core Ring Road of 30 km with public-private partnership, and a Rs. 80-crore plan to upgrade roads and infrastructure in the IT-BT sector leading to ITPL, to national highway standards.

For arterial roads, the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike had prepared a plan for widening 990 major arterial roads to 30 metres, to accommodate six-lane traffic. In the first stage, 45 roads had been taken up for survey, and 11 roads would be taken up at a cost of Rs. 100 crore, to be completed in three months. About 40 km of major arterial roads, sub-arterial roads in and around Bangalore were being upgraded under the Karnataka Municipal Reforms Project with World Bank assistance at a cost of Rs. 180 crore.

Funds sought

Mr. Kumaraswamy urged the Prime Minister to grant Rs. 240 crore to tackle sea erosion in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada districts.

Mr. Kumaraswamy said the Government had earlier sought Rs. 140 crore to help fishermen and other workers who depended on the sea for livelihood as sea erosion had ravaged the coastal region, causing severe loss. A sum of Rs. 240 crore would be required to put in place a protection system and to minimise further erosion, he added.