Bengaluru got Rs 28,356 crore from state govt in 6 years

The BBMP is emulating Bengaluru’s start-ups in burning huge cash even though the public infrastructure is yet to catch up with the city’s economic growth.

Data shows that the state government allocated a staggering Rs 28,356 crore to the civic body in six years. Over 60% of this money was spent on roadworks, including the construction of flyovers and underpasses. Stormwater drains and garbage disposal were the other areas where the BBMP spent generously.

The consolidated data of outlay to the BBMP between 2016 and 2022 has been prepared by the Urban Development Department (UDD) ahead of the state budget scheduled for February 17.

The government usually looks into past allocations and their utilisation before sanctioning fresh funds for the city. The upcoming Assembly elections will also play a role in how much funds will be pumped into the city, which has 28 constituencies. The BJP is keen to win a majority of these constituencies.

An analysis of the grants released from 2016 to 2022 shows that Bengaluru received a big bonanza during the tenure of four different chief ministers.

During Siddaramaiah’s term, for instance, Bengaluru received a total of Rs 9,791 crore, much of it close to the election year in 2018.

When H D Kumaraswamy was the CM for 14 months, he sanctioned Rs 8,343 crore for Bengaluru under the Nava Nagarothana scheme.

Some of the works announced under this programme were changed in September 2019, months after B S Yediyurappa dethroned the JD(S) leader.

During his stint as chief minister for two years, Yediyurappa sanctioned a separate grant of Rs 1,099 crore for garbage disposal under the Shubhra Bengaluru scheme and another Rs 1,000 crore for restoring roads dug up for laying water and sewer lines on the city’s outskirts.

In the nearly two years that Basavaraj Bommai has been at the helm of affairs, the BBMP received Rs 8,123 crore from the state government.

While most of it (Rs 6,000 crore) is being spent on roadworks, the government released a special grant of Rs 1,850 crore to remodel stormwater drains after the devastating floods. The government also released Rs 273 crore for improving the high-density corridors.

But the BBMP isn’t done yet. It has requested another Rs 1,400 crore for white-topping a fresh set of roads and Rs 3,000 crore more for flyovers and road-asphalting works, well-placed sources said.

Civic activist Srinivas Alavilli called the present system of allocating funds “unscientific”, which neither follows the development metrics nor measures the outcome of previous allocations.

“Nagarothana programme is an ad hoc way of allocating funds. What we need is a devolution of grants by a well-established and independent state finance commission, just like the central finance commission. It is extremely important to measure the development index of different such as public transportation, schools and toilets before deciding on the grant,” he said.

Grants for Bengaluru

Chief Minister Total grant

Siddaramaiah Rs 9,791 crore

H D Kumaraswamy/B S Yediyurappa Rs 10,442 crore

Basavaraj Bommai Rs 8,123 crore