Fast-tracked Bengaluru infra projects barely off the block as deadline nears

Infrastructure projects announced under Bengaluru Mission 2022 are yet to take off despite their deadlines fast approaching.

Former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa announced a mix of old infrastructure programmes and some new ones to overhaul the city’s infrastructure in two years.

While old projects such as the metro are at various stages of completion, those like the development of 12 high-density corridors, synchronising traffic signals, and redevelopment of Mysore Lamps and NGEF premises still remain on the drawing board.

Bengaluru suburban railway, another old project, has made some headway but is yet to see substantial progress on the ground.

The only new project to see considerable progress is the development of the Koramangala-Challaghatta Valley.

The Rs 477-crore project to develop the 12 high-density corridors on Ballari, Mysuru and Tumakuru roads etc, a key component of the chief minister’s programme, is almost dead if sources are to be believed.

Incumbent Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai decided to drop the project following irregularities in the tender process.

The Karnataka Road Development Corporation (KRDC), which was entrusted with the task, was accused of inflating the project cost by allocating separate funds for maintenance in the initial years.

There has also been zero progress in the upgrade and synchronisation of 216 traffic signals. Under the Rs 30-crore project, existing traffic signals are to be upgraded and integrated with the adaptive traffic control system.

The project is still on the drawing board. A solitary bidder took part in the tender called last year.

“The project may take some time. It’s still in the pipeline,” B R Ravikanthe Gowda, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), told DH. Two other prominent projects — redeveloping the 65-acre NGEF land and the 25-acre defunct Mysore Lamps factory — are also yet to take off.

Under the projects, an urban forest, an outdoor sports area and a heritage centre are to be built on the sprawling NGEF land, while the government wants to convert the 25-acre factory into a public space. Bommai, however, showed no interest in the project as he suspected irregularities by officials.

The only project that made significant progress on the ground is the development of the Koramangala-Challaghatta Valley on the lines of Gujarat’s Sabarmati Riverfront. Authorities have finished 60% of the groundwork on the Rs 169-crore Citizen Waterway Project and are planning to complete it by March 2023.

Rakesh Singh, Additional Chief Secretary of the Urban Development Department (UDD), did not respond to calls seeking comment about the Bengaluru Mission 2022.