BBMP to develop model wards

BBMP to develop model wards
DH News Service, Bangalore:
Making a Singapore out of Bangalore might be a distant dream. But the State government now wants to make a humble beginning by developing at least some select wards under the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) as model wards.

The government has constituted a special committee led by Ministers R Ashok and Katta Subramanya Naidu to identify these wards.

A decision to this effect was taken at the fifth meeting of the task force of ABIDe (Agenda for Bengaluru Infrastructure Development) which met on Friday to discuss the progress of City’s civic/infrastructure issues. Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa presided over the meeting.

Briefing reporters after the three-hour-long review meeting, Ananth Kumar, vice-chairman of the task force, said, “The number of wards or areas to be declared as model wards will be finalised in the next meeting scheduled for October 18. These wards will have all civic amenities like good roads, drinking water and power,” Kumar said.

Developing lakes
It was decided to appoint the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) as a nodal agency to oversee the handing over of lakes to the BBMP, Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and Bangalore Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (BMRDA). The government took such a step as the Lake Development Authority was not able to develop and protect lakes as desired, Kumar said.

“Officials from the zilla parishad, minor irrigation department, BMRDA, BBMP, and revenue department will be asked to work out the modalities to be involved in the handing over of the lakes,” Naidu said.

At present, 29 lakes will be handed over to the BBMP/BDA. “A meeting of all departments has been called on October 30 to discuss the issue,” Naidu said.

The meet also decided to widen the peripheral ring roads to 100 metre to accommodate multi-modal systems of transport such as metro and mono-rails, high-speed rail link, etc.

Space will be earmarked at the end of the road to develop greenery and there will not be any scope for commercial development. Development of a Satellite Township Ring Road to connect all new townships such as Nandagudi, Ramanagar, Bidadi and Solur among others are also planned.