Is BMRDA being sidelined by the government?

Is BMRDA being sidelined by the government?

Officials at BMRDA say despite preparing blueprints for major infrastructure projects, the authorities ignore them when it comes to execution. Bosky Khanna reports

Bosky Khanna



Now is the season for reviews. The state government ministers are engaged in reviewing the work and the projects launched by various civic agencies including Public Works Department (PWD) and BBMP.
But among all these activities, officials of Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA) feel they have been left out.
BMRDA officials feel they are not getting their due from the state government.
A BMRDA official, on condition of anonymity, told DNA that all projects which were initiated and planned by BMRDA have been handed over to other agencies and their task has been limited to planning.
Citing two examples, the official said: "The blueprint for radial roads was prepared by BMRDA. But the execution of the project was handed over to Public Works Department (PWD). The project was to kick-start in January, 2007. Similarly, the construction of Satellite Town Ring Road (STRR) was initiated by BMRDA but now this task too has been handed over to PWD. Presently, the alignment has been fixed and the project now awaits the clearance from the government to start preliminary notification."
BMRDA official says he is not upset over projects being handed over to PWD or any other agency. He, however, adds that BMRDA is not allowed to undertake any developmental work including the construction of five satellite townships on city outskirts.
"Chief Minister has organised review meetings with various agencies but has ignored BMRDA and its efforts. There are a few proposals that now await clearance from the government. It's a bit disappointing," he added.