Karnataka budget: From decongesting the traffic to avoiding floods, here’s what Bengaluru gets

* Under the Amrutha Nagarothana Scheme, works worth Rs 6,000 crore are being implemented in Bengaluru city. Development of 108 km of roads has been taken up under the high-density corridors scheme at an estimated cost of Rs 273 crore.

* To ensure that there is a free flow of rainwater and to avoid flooding, Rs 1,813 crore has been provided for the development of 195 km of drainage and culverts.

* To reduce traffic congestion in Bengaluru city, it is proposed to develop 75 important junctions with the highest traffic congestion at a cost of Rs 150 crore. Supplementing this, traffic congestion will be reduced by using Artificial Intelligence for the management of traffic signals by adopting seamless signalling.

* Traffic congestion will be reduced by constructing a 5km elevated road at a cost of Rs 350 crore from Tin Factory to Medahalli and the integrated flyover from Yeshwanthpur railway station to Mathikere and BEL Road and by providing direct access. This will be done by integrating it with rail networking of suburban railway corporations.

* White topping of 120 km arterial roads in Bengaluru at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore and development of 300 km of arterial and sub-arterial roads in the city at a cost of Rs 450 crore.

* Rs 300 crore will be provided for the reconstruction of roads that need repair in the 110 villages in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) limits.

* For proper usage of Sir M Vishveshwaraiah terminal at Byappanahalli, access roads around the terminal will be comprehensively developed. It is proposed to take up the necessary works at a cost of Rs 300 crore to reduce the traffic congestion.

* At present, the Bengaluru Metro Rail scheme is operational in a 56km network. The works of the metro rail scheme connecting the central Silk Board Junction and Kempegowda International Airport of 58.19km length with 30 stations is under progress at a fast pace. It is planned to operationalise a 40.15km length metro route in the current years.

* Third phase of works relating to the metro network has been proposed in the previous budget. A detailed project report for two corridors of 44.65 km length with 31 stations has been submitted to the central government. The estimated cost for this project is Rs 16,328 crore. The work will be taken up after the Centre’s approval.

* To reduce traffic congestion considerably, the construction of a satellite town ring road of 288 km of length at a cost of Rs 13,139 crore has been approved by the Government of India. The state government has agreed to pay 30% of the land acquisition cost required for this project.

* Approval has been given by the state government and railways ministry for implementation of Bengaluru suburban railway project at a cost of Rs 15,767 crore, which was a long-standing demand of Bengaluru residents. This project will be completed in 2024-25. Grants of Rs 1,350 crore from the central government and Rs 1,000 crore from the state government will be provided in the current year.

* The work order for the Bengaluru suburban railway project between Chikkabanavara and Baiyyapanahalli corridor-2 viaduct for Rs 860 crore has been issued and the works have commenced.

* A high-powered Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority is constituted in order to coordinate the operations of various transport agencies and to find out the scientific remedies to mitigate the traffic problems of the fast-developing Bengaluru city.

* To mitigate the ill effects of climate change and control floods in Bengaluru, a project with the assistance of the World Bank, at a cost of Rs 3,000 crore, will be implemented. Sluice gates will be installed at all the tanks to control the flood situation under this scheme. It is expected to help in controlling the speed and quantity of flow of water.

* The works of Cauvery Water Supply Scheme stage-5 have been undertaken at an estimated cost of Rs 5,500 crore with financial assistance of JICA and these works will be completed in 2023-24. Completion of 775 MLD capacity scheme will help in providing potable water to 50 lakh people in the city.

* Rs 200 crore financial assistance will be given to Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board from the state government for implementing the second phase of the project to provide water to 110 villages coming under BBMP.

* At present, 1,850 MLD effluents are being produced in Bengaluru, out of which 1,500 MLD effluents’ treatment capacity has been created. The capacity of 350 MLD will be added to treat all the effluents in the city.

* Construction works of four new effluent treatment plants with a total capacity of 440 MLD at a cost of Rs 1,200 crore have been taken up under the Megacity Revolving Fund.

* Several actions will be taken for processing of waste produced in Bengaluru city. Auto tippers and compactors designed for collection of dry waste and wet waste in the same vehicle will be operationalised. For processing of waste in the respective ward, a modern technology-based odourless waste processing unit will be established in each ward.

* Thrust will be given to process waste locally by mandating the producers of the large quantity of waste, including commercial complexes, hospitals and hotels, to process the waste at their level itself.

* Providing health services at affordable cost is the priority of our government. For this purpose, Namma clinics in 243 wards and 27 smart virtual clinics have been approved in 2022-23. Further, 50 dialysis beds and 300-bed super speciality facilities are established. To improve the health administration system, it is proposed to re-constitute the Mahanagara health administration as ‘Bengaluru Health Systems’.

* 20 Bengaluru public schools announced in the 2022-23 budget have been implemented. Further, a scheme for development of BBMP schools at a cost of Rs 180 crore is prepared under Amrutha Nagarothana Scheme and the works will be completed in the year 2023-24.

* 10 lakh saplings have been planted every year up to 2022-23. From 2023-24 onwards, this will be increased to 15 lakh saplings. It is proposed to establish 3 high-tech nurseries in coordination with the forest department.

* To prevent the encroachment of BBMP property and to ensure the protection of such property, fencing, erecting boards and surveillance through GPS software will be undertaken at a cost of Rs 35 crore.

* To infuse faith among women, the Safe City project under the Nirbhaya scheme is being implemented on a war footing. Installation of 4,100 cameras in 1,640 places has been completed. Safety measures taken will be monitored by providing access to these cameras to the integrated control and command centre. A grant of Rs 261 crore will be provided to complete this scheme in the current year.

* 250 well-equipped ‘she toilets’ will be constructed in heavily populated markets, mega commercial complexes, etc of Bengaluru city. State-of-the-art design toilets, feeding rooms, mobile charging, emergency SOS services etc. will be constructed in these complexes at a cost of Rs 50 crore.