Budget cut threatens B'lore's development

With the State Budget 2011-12 proposals for the City appearing to be nothing more than old wine in a new bottle, the allocations on a year-on-year basis has fallen by Rs 1,545 crore. Reason: Most allocations earmarked for infrastructure projects have already been envisaged in previous budgets.

With a total outlay of Rs 4,770 crore for Bangalore, the State Government has dropped the pace of financial support towards the City’s development. With allocations for Infrastructure Development dropping across the State, Bangalore also has faced a truncated allocation compared to last financial year.

The biggest beneficiary is the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), which has been allocated Rs 1,150 crore for the expansion of the Cauvery Water Supply Scheme Stage IV Phase-II.

With water crisis being of utmost concern, the budgetary allocation is to ensure supply of Cauvery water to the newly-added seven City Municipal Corporations’ (CMC), one Town Municipal Corporation (TMC) and the 110 villages in the BBMP fold.

The BBMP has been yet again ‘promised’ Rs 350 crore by way of State grants as against their anticipation of Rs 500 crore for the year 2011-12. There is no further mention of the Rs 1,500 crore it was ‘assured’ by the State in the previous budget.

The BDA has been allocated Rs 750 crore for the completion of the Kempegowda Layout, Dr Shivarama Karanth Layout and the much delayed Arkavathy Layout. Further, 30,000 houses are slated to be built by the BDA for the economically weaker section under the same allocations.

Perhaps the only notable addition to the already burgeoning infrastructure projects in the city is the proposal for a Bus Rapid Transport System (BRTS) at a cost of Rs 550 crore between Hebbal and the Central Silk Board junction. For the year 2011-12, an allocation of Rs 25 crore has been made for the project.

Besides, a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Mono Rail is being prepared for a 31-km stretch between Hebbal and J P Nagar and for a nine-km stretch from the Peripheral Ring Road to Toll Gate along Magadi Road.

A sum of Rs 683 crore has been allocated for Phase-1 of the Namma Metro project, scheduled for completion in 2014.

A sum of Rs 150 crore is set aside for an international convention centre in collaboration with the KIADB near the Bangalore Airport. A Business Park in Devanahalli has also found mention, with Rs 150 crore allocated for the project, to be built under a PPP model. The total project cost is Rs 5,000 crore on an expanse of 230 acres.

City’s kitty

*  BWSSB gets 1,150 crore for expansion of the Cauvery Stage IV to outlying areas in Bangalore
*  Bangalore Metro Phase-I allocated 683 crore for completion
*  BBMP gets 350 crore for development projects
*  750 crore for BDA to develop layouts and construct houses for the EWS
*  150 crore for construction of an International Convention Centre near BIA
*  25 crore for setting up BRTS between Hebbal and Central Silk Board