More than half of city's projects behind time

More than half of city's projects behind time

Rohith B R. Bangalore
A Traffic Transit Management Centre (TTMC) worth Rs 22.3 crore was approved at Banashankari two years ago. It is expected to ease the flow of traffic in the city and bring relief to commuters who regularly use the The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation bus stations.
At Banashankari alone, which operates more than 200 schedules every day, ferrying lakhs of passengers in 2,000 trips across the city, basic amenities are lacking and the terminal remains congested. The project is still to begin, despite an initial amount of Rs 27 lakh being released by the central government. Ten such centres are planned across the city.
Of the 37 infrastructure projects (projects under the mission for the urban poor not included in this count) approved for the city under the mission, 20 are yet to see the light of day. The list of such projects, apart from the instances cited already, includes underpasses, modern bus terminals and drainage works.
Questioned about the delay in the implementation of the bulk water metering project, a senior engineer from the city's water supply board said there were no takers for the project tenders as the initial costs quoted by the board were very low. "We have called four tenders so far; unless the tender rules are updated, the project cannot start," he said.
Despite this none too impressive record, however, the BBMP is ahead of other civic agencies in implementing infrastructure projects. Of the 16 projects (worth 951.52 crore) approved for it, many are in progress.