Polls ahead, BBMP under pressure to complete projects

With the impending assembly polls, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is under pressure from the higher authorities to complete the ongoing developmental projects at the earliest.

There are also inspections by the Bangalore Development and Town Planning Minister, K J George, with officials to ensure that the several ongoing infrastructure projects are completed and inaugurated before the Assembly election poll code comes into effect.

A day after inspecting the alternative route to Bangalore International Airport (BIAL)  the Minister inspected the construction work of the flyover and underpass near Okalipuram on Friday.

On completion, both these projects are meant to ease the traffic flow in the respective areas.

George set the deadline for completion of both the projects' first phase to February 28.

The code of conduct will come into effect as soon as the dates of the elections are announced and the aim is to complete the work before that.

"We are quite confident of completing these projects within the set deadline. The projects had received the urban development department's approval a long time ago. It is being implemented now as the tender process was completed recently," said a senior BBMP official.

As for the much-awaited white-topping work, it has faced a setback due to various traffic-related issues.

"For carrying out the white-topping work smoothly, we are chalking out alternative routes for traffic diversion. Most of the work also happens during the night hours to avoid disruption to the traffic flow," BBMP Commissioner N Manjunath Prasad said last week.

Five major infrastructure projects that are lined up for inauguration

Delmia Junction flyover (Rs 26 crore)

Eight-lane Okalipuram corridor (Rs 300 crore)

Basaveshwaranagar and Manjunath Nagar flyovers (Rs 90 crore)

Church Street TenderSURE (Rs 12 crore)

Multi-level car parking at Freedom Park (Rs 79 crore).