CHAKRAVYUH OF CHAOS

CHAKRAVYUH OF CHAOS
Deccan Herald

As the year draws close, Deccan Herald hits ground for a balance sheet on the City’s road infrastructure projects, land boom and that new dream for a Greater Bangalore


In a week’s time, one more year is coming to an end. And, it is time to write the last instalment of the year on Bangalore and its infrastructure facility. At frequent intervals Deccan Herald had presented updates on various projects that promise to make the City a more livable one. The most heard projects through the year were – the Metro Rail, Bangalore International Airport and multiple ring roads.

The concept of having circular roads is older than planning for mass transit, for quicker movement of commuting public or constructing an international airport in Devanahalli. The concept of circular road was conceived in 1983 when Ramakrishna Hegde was the chief minister. The foundation for the Outer Ring Road (ORR) of 64 km was laid in 1987 by Hegde himself and 16 years later the road was ready for public use. This sums up the way projects are planned and lack of zeal with which our politicians and officials execute a plan. The ORR was planned to decongest the core areas. Today, traffic jams have become order of the day even on the ORR.

Roads reflect progress, it is said. If roads become the yardstick to assess the development of a city, then Bangalore would surely not occupy the prime slot. A Google search on Bangalore roads stirred the memory of this reporter on how the government agencies instead of improving the existing roads, through the year talked about multi-crore multiple ring road projects. There is nothing wrong in having ring roads because they are vital to decongest the central Bangalore. Unfortunately the projects too have remained on paper.

Log on to the websites of Bangalore Development Authority, Bangalore Metropolitan Regional Development Authority and Bangalore Mahanagara Palike. They throw up information on proposed ring roads but there is no column to indicate the status or progress of the projects. The BDA’s efforts to build a Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) of 117 km by spending over Rs 900 crore is yet to take a concrete shape. The process to acquire 2,050 acres for the road is on.

Even the BMRDA’s Intermediate Ring Road (IRR) and Satellite Town Ring Road (STRR) projects are still in an infant stage. The BMRDA is yet to complete preliminary survey for IRR. The STRR has some progress - the preliminary survey is over but techno-economical feasibility study is to be done. BMRDA has to co-ordinate with National Highways and the State Government to execute STRR, a Rs 1,150-crore project. In addition, BMP too has plans to develop a no-stoppage 29.5 km core ring road within the central business district.

Officers in-charge of these projects did not hold out any hope that the City would get to see a new circular road in the near future. It is understandable that mega projects require mega funds. But the irony is that there is no time line set for completing any of the proposed roads. By the way, when all these four ring roads become a reality, 618 km will added to the road network!

A city like Bangalore has no full-time minister to take care of its needs. Chief Minister Kumaraswamy is in-charge of Bangalore city development. In the last one year, the CM had convened a couple of meetings to discuss the infrastructure projects. But he failed to attract private participation in the projects. He has not been tough enough to get work done from the civic agencies.

The same Chief Minister is active when it comes to notifying land for establishing townships. While NICE is still awaiting release of land for its five townships from Bidadi to Mysore, the CM has been quick enough to call for global tenders for developing Bidadi township in 9,600 acres through the BMRDA. The moot question is what does township mean? Says an IAS officer, who did not like to be named, its like real estate business – selling land for private parties – for setting up industries or building houses or commercial complexes. According to a source, the government through various government agencies is planning to take possession of 1,45,000 acres between Bangalore-Mysore..

Does this mean the CM would be preoccupied with developing areas around Bangalore than within the city limits in the year to come?