Responding to the cry of 10 million residents of Bangalore, reeling under crumbling infrastructure, woeful civic amenities and stinking garbage, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah Friday announced a budget bonanza of Rs.6,540 crore to improve infrastructure facilities in India's tech hub.
Presenting a budget for 2013-14 in the assembly, Siddaramaiah told the lawmakers that the government would accord high priority for the infrastructure development of Bangalore to improve the quality of life of its people.
"Of the total amount budgeted this fiscal for improving the infrastructure in Bangalore, Rs.1,600 crore will be spent on developing arterial and sub-arterial roads, building grade separators at important junctions, widening of corridors, elevated roads and skywalks for pedestrians during this fiscal to ease the chronic grid lock across the city," he said.
The budget also proposes to spend Rs.250 crore on providing basic infrastructure in about 110 villages, which have been brought under the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike's (BBMP) civic limits.
The state government will contribute its share of Rs.320 crore for civic projects to be taken up with the central government under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNURM).
The budget has earmarked about Rs.100 crore for solid waste management by BBMP and another Rs.100 crore to build multilevel car parking facilities to minimise congestion on roads due to chaotic vehicular traffic and parking.
"Rs.200 crore will be spent on building railway over and under bridges at level crossings across the expanded city," Siddaramaiah said.
In a bid to decongest the city and its peripheral roads linked to state and national highways, the chief minister said a special vehicle purpose (SPV) would soon be set up to implement the Rs.8,759-crore suburban rail system, connecting Bangalore with Tumkur (70km), Ramanagaram (40km) and other satellite towns within 100km radius.
"We have done a feasibility study for the suburban rail system. A detailed project report will be prepared soon for phase-one," the chief minister said.
Siddaramaiah, who also holds the finance portfolio, informed the legislators that the central government would soon clear the Rs.26,405-crore second phase of 'Namma Metro' rail link to cover an additional 72km across the city.
