Plan Bengaluru 2020 launched

Plan Bengaluru 2020 launched

Staff Reporter
‘To bring back a Bangalore of Kempe Gowda’s dreams’
Bangalore: Citizens can now zip around the central business district in the air-conditioned comfort of Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation’s (BMTC) new fleet of Volvo buses.

They can also zoom past signal-free junctions and widened roads.

Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa on Tuesday launched Plan Bengaluru 2020, an initiative to bring back a Bangalore of Kempe Gowda’s dreams as recommended by ABIDe.

He inaugurated several infrastructure projects and transportation initiatives, including Kendra Sarige — the hop-on and hop-off (HOHO) inner-city service, BIG 10 service, and pedestrian underpasses at the CBI Junction and on Nrupatunga Road.

All these were aimed at making Bangalore the final destination for investors and tourists, he said.

To encourage the use of public transport, BMTC has launched a new inner-city service called “Kendra Sarige” with blueline and orangeline hop-on and hop-off buses. Two lines of the service, one each in the clockwise and anti-clockwise direction, will run every five minutes to strengthen connectivity between various points in the central business district.

The low-floor modern buses will make travelling quicker, smoother and comfortable. The fare has been fixed at Rs. 10 a passenger, Transport Minister R. Ashok said.

BIG 10 service
To provide direct connection to the city’s growing suburbs, the transport corporation also launched a BIG 10 service.

This will provide affordable and regular service on the entire stretch of 10 major arterial roads leading out of the city, Mr. Ashok said.

Two of these routes — a six-kilometre stretch from Hosur Road to Vellara Junction via Central Silk Board and a 13.50-km stretch connecting HAL Airport Road to Whitefield via Vellara Junction — began operations on Tuesday.

The Minister said additional routes will be added once in two-three weeks until the other eight roads — Old Madras Road, Bellary Road, Tumkur Road, Magadi Road, Mysore Road, Kanakapura Road, Bannerghatta Road and Sarjapur Road — are covered.

The buses will maintain a frequency of five to 10 minutes on these roads, he said.

Tickets for these buses have been priced at Rs. 5, Rs. 10 and Rs. 15 depending upon the distance.

They will operate from 7.30 a.m. to 10.30 p.m., he added.

Earlier, the Chief Minister inaugurated the widened Race Course Road and Kaggadasapura Road and underpasses at CBI Junction and on Nrupatunga Road.He also launched the phase 2 expansion project of Metro Rail.

Bangalore South MP H.N. Ananth Kumar, who is also the vice-chairman of ABIDe, said a website “namma bengaluru” would soon be launched to showcase Bangalore as a city of Kempe Gowda’s dreams.

He thanked the Union Government for approving the second phase of Metro Rail.

Minister for Excise, IT/BT and BWSSB Katta Subramanya Naidu said a decision on regularisation of unauthorised constructions would be taken shortly by the committee set up to look into the feasibility of the Sakrama scheme.

He said the Government would soon distribute “hakku patras” and title deeds to more than 20,000 slum dwellers.

A decision to waive interest on deposits for water and power lines for these slum dwellers had been taken, he added.

Medical Education Minister Ramchandre Gowda, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Shobha Karandlaje, Haj, Wakf and Minority Welfare Minister Mumtaz Ali Khan, ABIDe convenor Rajeev Chandrashekar, several MLAs, BBMP Commissioner S. Subramanya, BDA Commissioner Siddaiah and BMTC Managing Director Syed Zameer Pasha were present.