The Tuesday Interview | 'Masterplan for Bengaluru, PRR are highest priorities'

The primary focus will be on ensuring conservation of water bodies, providing access to drinking water and development, and a comprehensive mobility plan.

The state government recently appointed IAS officer Rakesh Singh --additional chief secretary of the urban development department, who now also heads the Bangalore Development Authority--as head of 12 other such entities in other cities and towns in Karnataka. While he finds the task challenging, Singh says that it will not add to his burden because the trick is to “execute and implement seamlessly”. In a quick chat with DH’s Nina C George, Singh spoke about the government’s plan to develop tier 2 and 3 cities in Karnataka, strengthen BDA’s housing and villa projects, and speed up work related to rolling out Bengaluru’s long-pending masterplan. Excerpts:

How do you think you will manage to helm 12 authorities?

The new responsibilities do not add to my work because the chairman is responsible for holding board meetings and ensuring that the “resolutions” made at the board meeting are executed. The task is to implement the vision of the planning authority, which has specific contours, irrespective of which planning authority it is. Common parameters such as mobility plans, water conservation, and the development of residential and industrial areas will be discussed, and the specific contours must be implemented in all earnestness.

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What plans do you have for the Tier 2 cities?

The primary focus will be on ensuring conservation of water bodies, providing access to drinking water and development, and having a comprehensive mobility plan. The view of the government is to develop Tier 2 cities in all aspects so that upward mobility is restricted. People from Mysuru need not come to Bengaluru if they have good health, educational facilities, and job opportunities in their city. This vision will also be implemented at the taluk level. Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has also said that all builders who go to these cities will get some additional benefit in terms of Floor Area Ratio (FAR), which will serve as a good incentive.

What are your plans for the notoriously corrupt BDA?

BDA has about 6,000 cases pending in court. My first task is to ensure that these cases are brought down, because by doing that, it will be a win-win situation for both litigants and the BDA. I hope to address the severe staff shortage in the BDA. People have lost faith in the BDA, and the need of the hour is to be accessible to people, be available to hear their woes, and address them effectively.

What is the status of civic amenities in Kempegowda and Shivarama Karanth Layouts? When are allotments in Shivarama Karanth layout expected to happen?

I am not particular about getting new layouts planned or any other activity until I complete the existing projects. Work at the Shivarama Karanth Layout is being completed under the supervision of the Justice A V Chandrashekar Committee. The site allotment and related matters will first be routed through the committee, and then sites will be allotted. It will be done shortly.

Given the fate of the Arkavathi, Kempegowda, and Shivaram Karanth layouts, when do you think BDA will develop its next layout?

In all the layouts, we have carried out an economic analysis of how much money we might be getting, the phases of development, and how much it costs. This will help us reduce litigation, get the most land at our disposal to distribute to sites, and also understand how to generate revenue.

There is a BDA villa project coming up now. Does that mean the BDA will not shy away from catering to the upper middle class? Is BDA also trying to address the issue of its housing complexes being of substandard quality with no basic amenities?

We must do a proper economic evaluation of whether BDA should, in the first place, do housing projects vis-à-vis the private players who are also developing layouts and villas. How do we match them? We match them because the land that we get is free, but can we match the quality of construction and design? If we can’t, then we shouldn’t be doing them. I also think we should calculate the land cost right at the beginning and the construction cost at the very end of the project. The result of this evaluation should help us provide subsidised housing for the economically weaker sections and help us cross-subsidise the properties. It should be at least 10 to 15% less than the cost of those offered by private enterprises. Most of our projects have come in peripheral areas where basic amenities and mobility become issues. We want to make sure that our housing and villa projects have small-time shopping facilities, regular water and power supplies, and sewage accessibility. We wanted to then hand this over to the resident welfare associations for maintenance.

Do you think the Peripheral Ring Road and the masterplan for Bengaluru will materialise at all? What plans do you have for speeding up the projects?

The Peripheral Ring Road and the masterplan for Bengaluru are the highest priorities of this government. As far as PRR is concerned, we have already held three rounds of discussion with the deputy CM, and we hope to complete all paperwork in 8–10 weeks, including issues related to the land acquisition. The Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) should be finalised within four weeks, as directed by Deputy CM D K Shivakumar.