Bengaluru: BBMP tables Rs 19,930 crore budget for 2025-26; citizens question utility of ‘vanity’ projects

BBMP has earmarked Rs 2,828 crore for the Brand Bengaluru initiative, under which mega-infrastructure projects are expected to be executed over a three-year period. To ensure smooth implementation, a dedicated escrow account has been created for these schemes. Tushar Giri Nath, Chief Commissioner, BBMP, stated that in the FY 2024-25, Rs 660 crore has already been transferred to this account. For FY 2025-26, an additional Rs 700 crore has been allocated in the budget, bringing the total payment to Rs 1,360 crore. “The remaining funds will be granted in subsequent years, ensuring project completion is planned,” Nath stated.

BBMP has collected property tax of around Rs 4,900 crore in the year 2024-25, which is the highest in India for the second consecutive year. During the year 2025-26, Rs 5,716 crore revenue from property tax is expected, accounting for 29 per cent of the civic body’s revenue.

DK’s ‘vanity’ projects take frontstage

Under Sugama Sanchara Bengaluru, BBMP will undertake Rs 73,600 crore worth of projects under a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) mooted by Shivakumar, who is also the Bengaluru development minister. The projects include North-South and East-West tunnel roads estimated to cost Rs 42,000 crore. BBMP will also construct 110 km of elevated corridor at a cost of Rs 13,200 crore. Additionally, BBMP is planning an Integrated Metro-Flyover project (Double Decker) covering 40 km at a projected cost of Rs 9,000 crore. The civic body has also proposed to construct 300 km of road adjacent to stormwater drains at a sum of Rs 3,000 core, among others.

Dr Harish Kumar, Special Commissioner (Finance), BBMP, said the civic body will construct 1,000 km of footpath during the ongoing arterial and sub-arterial road works.

IT corridor to get a fix

For the IT corridor between Silk Board and KR Puram-Lowry Junction, which houses several IT-BT companies with Fortune 500 status, the civic agency plans to build 22.7 km of ‘world-class’ road infrastructure at a cost of Rs 400 crore in collaboration with the Karnataka government and Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL). This is the same stretch that Shivakumar had promised last year to fix in 100 working days, but the issues still remain unresolved.

User fee for waste management

The BBMP has also proposed to collect a solid waste management user fee along with property tax from the year 2025-26. For FY 2025-26, Rs 1,400 crore has also been allocated to Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited for the collection and transportation of solid waste, segregation and processing, development of landfills, and maintenance of solid waste processing units.

New parking policy

To address the issue of roadside parking, which hinders road widening and traffic flow, BBMP has introduced a new policy allowing an increase in the stilt height of buildings to 4.5 metres. Through this new policy, buildings can now have a stilt (ground-level open space height of up to 4.5 meters without it being counted toward the building’s overall height limit).

The aim is to allow multi-level mechanical car parking systems within residential and commercial premises.

Pourakarmikas to get electric two-wheelers

BBMP has allocated Rs 15 crore in 2025-26 for the free distribution of electric two-wheelers to ‘eligible working women’ and pourakarmikas (sanitation workers) in all zones and electric two-wheelers with extra wheels to specially-abled persons. Additionally, for the transgender community and other economically backward classes, BBMP has allocated Rs 10 crore. Under the program, the civic body would bear 50 per cent or a maximum of Rs 2 lakh of a project’s cost for eligible candidates.

New BBMP schools

With an aim to provide quality education to children studying in BBMP schools and colleges, a budgetary allocation of Rs 183.69 crore has been made. BBMP has announced plans to set up new schools in five new outer zones of the city to reach out to more children. For 2025-26, Rs 23.34 crore has also been allocated for the maintenance of school buildings, Rs 30 crore for the development of playgrounds, Rs 120.35 crore for educational programs, and Rs 10 crore for ‘Brand Bengaluru-Shikshana Bengaluru’.

BBMP-ONE app

In order to bring all citizen services under one app, BBMP plans to launch the BBMP-ONE app. It aims to bring apps such as Fix-Pothole, Sahaaya-Public Grievances, E-Khata, Advertisement, and Property-GPS under one application.

Upgradation to 1,122 beds

BBMP has set aside a budgetary outlay of Rs 413 crore in the next two years for health. The bed capacity of 19 hospitals will be enhanced from the existing 852 beds to 1,122 beds. Sixty different blood tests shall be done free of cost in all UPHCs and Namma Clinics in Bengaluru. Twenty-six dental units run by the BBMP will also be launched. Additionally, 144 electric vehicles will be provided to help in the immunisation drive of urban poor, migrants, nomads, slum dwellers, and children.

Citizens give a thumbs down

Sandeep Anirudhan, Convenor, Citizens’ Agenda for Bengaluru, said, “The fundamental question we’d like to raise about the BBMP budget is its legitimacy. The fundamentals are broken. There is no elected council or mayor for the fourth year in a row. Inputs have not been taken from the public. The budget is on predictable lines, i.e., favouring vested interests and contractor lobbies. Vanity projects have been announced, but is there a fund for regular 24×7 pothole repair and road repair? Is there a fund for the demolition of illegal buildings and layouts that the city is crumbling under? Is there a fund outlay for setting up an enforcement police force? In short, they have not thought of solving any of the city’s nagging problems, they are only interested in creating more problems.”

Satya Arikutharam, urban mobility expert, said, “BBMP is lying when it says experts have suggested the tunnel road. The flaws in the shoddy DPR have been consistently called out by several experts, and yet BBMP persists in its folly. The project is unviable, but BBMP is proposing a 40 per cent Viability Gap Funding (VGF) to the Concessionaire based on a flawed report. This is a taxpayer-funded direct subsidy for an unscientific project… The tunnel project cannot proceed further without proving its efficacy as part of the CMP update. It also has to mandatorily obtain BMLTA approval.”