Plans for infrastructure and development in city

Plans for infrastructure and development in city
JNNURM funds will help meet the city’s infrastructure needs, writes Poornima B V


It has been estimated that Bangalore city alone needs Rs 22,536 crores for infrastructure development, according to a study conducted by the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). The estimate was made as part of a study on the infrastructure needs of several cities in the country, according to J Manjunath, Chief Finance Officer, JNNURM.
The term renewal, in the JNNURM context, refers to the entire spectrum of urban services, institutional frameworks, and governance. The idea was to renew existing systems, identify gaps and propose an action plan to fill these gaps.
According to the study, as a city grows, not only do the core areas get denser, but large peripheral areas also get included in the city. Infrastructure development and its objective in this scenario would be to reduce congestion, and provide better services in all sectors. In the current growth rate scenario, the city's population will reach 98 lakhs by 2011 and 170 lakhs by 2021.
Since Bangalore's establishment in 1537, the traditional areas have played a key role in the city's development. These areas are still the centers of conventional trade and economic activity, but constrained by inadequate infrastructure facilities, primarily due to the lack of space and a burgeoning population. Old and traditional areas in Bangalore comprise Chickpet, Cubbonpet, Cottonpet, Majestic, Gandhi Nagar, Vasanth Nagar, Shivaji Nagar, Richmond Town, and Chamarajpet. These areas are characterised by a dense population with a density 3-4 times higher than the average of other BBMP areas.
According to Manjunath, the estimate was carried out based on the infrastructure needs of the city and the Greater Bangalore area too, but did not include some 110 villages in the outskirts that need to be included. A revision is therefore likely in the near future.
Key areas for
development
The proposed implementation plan for urban renewal involves redevelopment of traditional areas, diversion of traffic in these areas by introduction of 'one-ways', enforcement of new parking regulations, ban on entry of heavy goods vehicles in such areas, widening of roads, removal of encroachments, provision of appropriate transport system for commuters, development of pedestrian walkways, construction of cycling zones, demarcation into transport and utility zones, maintenance of open spaces, and improvement of civic services.
According to Dr Rajan Sridhar who has studied the city and its development in detail as part of his doctoral studies, Bangalore grew faster than it could be mapped. As part of his study on 'Planning strategies and design guidelines in Bangalore Metropolitan Areas', he concludes that the need of the hour is development that's transit-oriented. There's a need for clear-cut traffic-free zones in central areas and provision of dedicated lanes for fast moving traffic, he says. There's also a need to create separate lanes for cyclists with separate pathways for pedestrians. A planned strategy and design guidelines for open spaces and parks is a must, according to him. He also proposes that the colour of roads must be changed to green or lighter colours, terrace gardens and vertical gardens must be encouraged and just as rain water harvesting has been made compulsory, terrace gardens needs to be encouraged too. "Mixed land use has no meaning if we don't preserve our natural valleys", says Dr Rajan, an alumni of IIT, Kharagpur, currently working with an architectural firm. The natural topography of Bangalore and its high altitude can be used to advantage, according to Dr Rajan. PPP models
There's an increasing need for public-private participation (PPP) in the area of infrastructure development and various PPP models have been proposed. The State Government is now keen on this in the development of infrastructure. The chief minister recently made an announcement seeking the services of an empanelled group of private consultants, whose services could be used to undertake these projects.
In the first quarter of the current year, the State received Rs 94 crores for improvements to arterial roads of Bangalore and Rs 98 crores for basic urban services. Projects worth an estimated Rs 1,900 crores will be submitted by the BBMP for clearance under the JNNURM. The State Government had set aside nearly Rs 650 crores in the budget (including the part to be funded by the Centre) for the JNNURM projects. Under the JNNURM, the Centre's participation for any project would be to an extent of 35 percent, the State Government's participation would be 15 percent and the balance of 50 percent would have to be borne by the civic bodies.