Karnataka govt action plan moots four new metro lines

An action plan prepared by the Basavaraj Bommai administration to make Karnataka a $1 trillion economy has proposed four new metro lines for Bengaluru to provide citizens access within 1-2 km of their place of work or residence by 2032.

At present, Bengaluru has a 56-km metro rail network. The new metro lines spanning 59 km would cost Rs 27,000 crore, according to the action plan brought out by the Department of Planning, Programme Monitoring & Statistics and industry body Ficci.

The new lines under Phase-3 of the metro project will “drive Bengaluru towards its target of metro access to every citizen within 1-2 km of their place of work or residence by 2032,” the action plan says. Currently, metro stations are at a maximum distance of 4-5 km.

The action plan has many recommendations for Bengaluru, which it describes as “jewel in the crown of Karnataka”.

To reduce congestion and raise revenues, it is proposed to levy a congestion charge on vehicles coming into Bengaluru during peak hours from nine entry points such as Hosur Road, Mysuru Road and Ballari Road.

Another proposal is to create to 12 ‘good life’ clusters by adopting “30-minute proposals” to ensure citizens have access to a range of services — shopping, healthcare, education and so on — within 30 minutes. The proposed clusters are Malleswaram–Rajajinagar, Jayanagar-JP Nagar, Indiranagar-Koramangala, HSR Layout-Sarjapur Road, Whitefield-Kadugodi, Banshankari-Kanakapura Road, Electronics City-Bommanahalli, Banaswadi-HRBR Layout, Thanisandra-Nagawara, Hebbal-Yelahanka, Yeshwantpur-Peenya and Marathahalli-Yemlur.

Karnataka will need cumulative investment of Rs 152.87 lakh crore over the next 10 years to achieve its target of becoming a $1 trillion economy, the action plan says.

Doubling down on efforts to drive investments away from Bengaluru, the action plan has proposed ‘optimal use’ of 15,000 acres of available industrial land in Vijayapura, Ballari, Dharwad, Shivamogga, Hassan, Ramanagara, Tumakuru and Chikkaballapur districts.

It is proposed to establish a Rs 1,000 crore Beyond Bengaluru growth fund for angel investment in startups. By 2032, the government hopes to have 10,000 startups outside Bengaluru, up from 2,955 now.

Among several proposals to strengthen the education sector, the action plan proposes creating an annual fund of Rs 500 crore by levying a surcharge of 5% on excise duty on liquor. The higher education budget must be 2% of the GSDP and 30% of the overall education budget, it says.