GBA sets up city-wide task forces to address congestion, unauthorised buildings

Bengaluru: The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) has decided to form two task forces for road widening and stopping unauthorised constructions in the city.

During a review meeting, Chief Commissioner M Maheshwar Rao instructed officials to set up task forces in all five city corporations.

The move is likely to help citizens, as both road widening and stopping unauthorised construction have rarely received official attention due to implementation challenges.

Although the state government allocates Rs 3,000 crore every year, much of the grants are spent on relaying the same roads. Even though widening is critical to ease bottlenecks, the GBA does not allocate funds for it or for land acquisition. This has contributed to congestion, especially in outer areas.

No GBA officer has made genuine attempts to stop unauthorised construction even when deviations are over 50 to 100% of the sanctioned plan. The lack of early action has encouraged violations, causing nuisance to neighbours and the wider neighbourhood.

During the meeting, officials also discussed measures to prevent wastewater from entering the K-100 rajakaluve.

“Current points of wastewater inflow should be identified and fully controlled. On-site inspections must be conducted where coloured water from dyeing units or blood-mixed water from slaughterhouses enters the canal,” the chief commissioner told engineers.

Traffic police have identified 101 locations where pedestrian overbridges are needed for safe road crossings. Rao instructed officials to inspect these locations and begin construction wherever feasible.