All hogwash! It’s not Rs 3,000 cr for BBMP, only Rs 524 cr

All hogwash! It’s not Rs 3,000 cr for BBMP, only Rs 524 cr
S Kushala & Aarthi R | TNN

Bangalore: Statistics can deceive. If you don’t read the fine print you’ll have the wool pulled over your eyes. Only months ago, the state budget went gungho about setting aside a humongous Rs 3,000 crore from its kitty for developing bigger Bangalore. The reality is that it’s only a piddling Rs 524 crore, the normal annual allocation.
So what’s the big talk? Much of the Rs 3,000 crore mentioned in the budget comes under a broad umbrella of ‘urban development’ which also includes the Bangalore Metro and BWSSB water works. The special grant announced by the government remains lip-service. Information obtained under the Right to Information Act about money promised by the government to the civic body this year is startling.
Here’s what is actually coming (as per information obtained under RTI): no grants have been given to BBMP in 2009-10 budget. Only Rs 500 crore will be given for ongoing programme of works and Rs 24 crore under the State Finance Commission grants. — S N Krishnakumar, under secretary, urban development department.
For the record, SFC grants are sanctioned every year to local bodies towards salaries. “The SFC amount is the normal allocation. This apart, consecutive budgets have not allocated any big money for BBMP so far. Much of it is brought under the broad umbrella of urban development. Finally, it is not the government contribution or special grants but the cost of different projects put together and shown as one huge chunk of allocation,’’ explained a former BBMP commissioner.
Refusing to comment on the exact budgetary allocation to BBMP this year, its commissioner Bharat Lal Meena said there were enough funds for the ongoing development works in the city.
WHAT
BANGALORE
NEEDS
The 800 sqkm area needs Rs 36,308 crore as initial investment till 2012
Long-term investment of Rs 1 lakh crore to service additional population of 1.28 crore by 2031
BBMP will have to invest Rs 20,019 crore till 2012, of which Rs 4,004 crore should flow in annually THE BREAK-UP A compilation of projects of other civic stakeholders for the year: BBMP to set aside Rs 800 crore towards infrastructure development and BDA to pump in Rs 500 crore Rs 600 crore to increase supply of drinking water and drainage network in Bangalore. Rs 300 crore towards Cauvery drinking water IV stage II phase Rs 100 crore will be provided to recycle underground drainage water leading to tanks 2009-10 state government share for Metro Rail is Rs 600 crore 1,000 deluxe buses with Rs 500 crore allocation