BANGALORE INFRASTRUCTURE NAMMA BUDGET FM AT WORK

BANGALORE INFRASTRUCTURE NAMMA BUDGET FM AT WORK
Look beyond roads and traffic
Garbage Disposal, Clearing Drains And Drinking Water Too Need Adequate Attention
TIMES NEWS NETWORK


Projects on better infrastructure that also ensure better living conditions. That’s perhaps the one-line assurance that Bangalore will look forward to in the state budget. While the city’s stakeholders are pegging the development model for expressways and underpasses, Bangaloreans will be looking at proper motorable roads, to start with.
M V K Anil Kumar, convenor of RTI activist group Kriya Katte, feels better living conditions should be prioritized ahead of mega-budget road infrastructure projects. “Motorable roads, prompt disposal of garbage and adequate supply of water are three key areas that need greater focus,’’ says Kumar. Considering the BJP attached prominence to Bangalore’s development during its election campaign, the new budget is expected to feature many schemes for the capital.
The budget could also feature important announcements on the capital value system (CVS) model of tax collection and follow-ups to the Kasturirangan Committee’s recommendations on city administration. While administrative reforms hold the key, the budget is likely to give a greater thrust to infrastructure projects.
Citizens’ groups feel infrastructure is, by and large, used in official parlance to denote road projects, while sectors like health and education too call out for equal attention. For a city that’s battling recurring rumours of epidemic outbreaks, Bangalore is not well placed in terms of waste disposal. Piled-up litter, clogged underground drains and mixing of sewage with stormwater drains are issues that citizen want addressed through projects and schemes announced in the budget.
“Bangalore needs a fresh, dedicated initiative to revamp its drainage network. We hope poor drainage comes across as important enough for the government so that it allocates dedicated funds as part of the urban development schemes,’’ Harish Reddy, a resident group activist in BTM Layout, said.
The various road projects taken up in and around Bangalore, including the peripheral ring road (PRR), by a host of agencies are expected to find prominence in the budget. In the voteon-account for the state earlier this year, Rs 240 crore was earmarked on development of important roads in and around Bangalore.
This apart, Rs 5 crore was allocated as the state’s initial equity on the proposed high-speed rail link to the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA), and Rs 93 crore as the state’s investment in the airport. The new budget could take these as guidelines and add on new components.
Traffic and WATER
The vote-on-account allocated Rs 38 crore for the B-TRAC programme, devised to get rid of traffic bottlenecks. The budget is likely to give thrust to the Comprehensive Traffic and Transportation Plan (CTTP). The city’s parched areas are also looking at some reprieve in the BWSSB’s ambitious integrated water management plan.
Likely PROJECTS
Development beyond fancy infrastructure projects Better, healthier living conditions Road projects could find prominence Poll promises likely to be translated into schemes