Palike's infra projects hit as Centre stops JnNURM funds

Bengaluru: Major infrastructure projects, including construction of flyovers and sewerage diversion and flood mitigation works, planned by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) at an estimated cost of Rs 2,400 crore, have been put on the back burner as the Centre has withheld funds under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM).

The Narendra Modi government has decided to scrap JnNURM, the previous UPA government’s flagship pro­g­ramme, and bring in a scheme of its own for urban mod­er­nisation. 

Thus, funds that were supposed to be released under JnNURM have been withheld, forcing the BBMP to put on hold many projects that were planned under the Centre-sponsored scheme, sources in the Palike said.

Major projects shelved

Some of the major projects that have been shelved include construction of a steel flyover from Minerva Circle to Hudson Circle at a cost of Rs 129.10 crore, and an elevated corridor from Ejipura to Sony World junction in Koramangala at a cost of Rs 163.35 crore. These two were among many projects cleared under JnNURM by the Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee in February 2014 when the UPA government was in office.

In 2014, the Centre had also given its nod for sewerage diversion and a flood mitigation project to improve environmental conditions surrounding water bodies in Dasarahalli Zone I and Zone II, at a cost of Rs 156 crore and in Mahadevapura (Phase I) at a cost of Rs three crore, and development and maintenance of four water bodies near Yelahanka (Rs 220.82 crore).

 The future of all these projects now hangs in the balance. It has been decided to cancel the tenders called for these projects, sources in the BBMP said.When contacted, BBMP Commissioner M Lakshminarayana said there was a possibility of the Centre replacing JnNURM with another project. Once the government order in this regard is out, work on these projects would be started by inviting fresh tenders. Remodelling of stormwater drains is also part of Rs 2,400 crore worth of projects that have been put on hold, he added. 
Prequalification tender

The BBMP had already floated a prequalification tender for the construction of a steel flyover from Minerva Circle to Hudson Circle. 

The flyover was planned to ease traffic congestion on the busy JC Road and around Hudson Circle. If implemented, the 2.2-km-long elevated corridor would have been the first of its kind in the country, as the super-structure and the sub-structure will be made of steel.

On the other hand, the Palike had completed nearly 95 per cent of the work in regard to land acquisition for the elevated corridor in Koramangala by the time it received an official word from the Centre about withholding of funds under JnNURM, the sources said.