Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah File Photo
Karnataka

Karnataka Budget 2026: What is in it for Bengaluru

The 2026–27 Karnataka Budget presented by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced a series of infrastructure, mobility, healthcare and social welfare initiatives for Bengaluru, including metro expansion, major road projects, tunnel corridors and plans to study a second airport for the city.

Written by : TNM Staff

Major road infrastructure projects, metro expansion, tunnel corridors, and plans for a second airport featured prominently in allocations for Bengaluru in the 2026–27 Karnataka budget presented by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday, March 6.

Road and traffic infrastructure

> Outer Ring Road stretch from Silk Board Junction to KR Puram Metro Station to be developed as a global-standard corridor at Rs 450 crore
> White-topping of 158 km of roads to be taken up at Rs 1,700 crore, and more than 450 km of roads to be white-topped over the next three years at Rs 3,000 crore. White-topping is a road rehabilitation technique in which a layer of cement concrete is laid over an existing bitumen (asphalt) road to create a more durable, long-lasting surface that requires less frequent maintenance.
> 175 junctions to be beautified and 500 km of footpaths to be upgraded.
> 100 skywalks to be constructed across the city over the next three years

Metro and rail projects

> Namma Metro currently operates a 96-km network serving about 10 lakh commuters daily. 41 km of additional metro lines proposed to be completed in 2026–27 under Namma Metro
> 9-km pedestrian walkway along the metro viaduct on Outer Ring Road to be built at Rs 160 crore

>Under the Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project:

  • Land acquisition completed for Corridor-2 (Benniganahalli–Chikkabanavara).

  • Acquisition in progress for Corridor-4 (Heelalige–Rajanukunte).

  • Rs 500 crore allocated this year; target completion December 2030.

> Baiyappanahalli–Hosur and Yeshwanthpur–Channasandra railway doubling project underway at Rs 812 crore, with Rs 406 crore State share. Doubling works completed on a 14-km stretch so far.

Tunnel roads and major corridors

> To address traffic congestion, the government has approved two tunnel corridors covering about 40 km at an estimated cost of Rs 40,000 crore under the Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) model. The BOOT model is a public–private partnership in which a private company builds and operates a project for a fixed period to recover its investment, after which ownership is transferred to the government.

  • the North–South corridor from Hebbal Junction to HSR Layout Silk Board

  • the East–West corridor from KR Puram to Mysore Road 

> Tenders invited for the 17-km North–South corridor at Rs 17,780 crore

> Tunnel road and elevated road between Hebbal Junction and Mekhri Circle to be built by BDA at Rs 2,250 crore

> Land acquisition underway for Phase-1 of the 73-km Bengaluru Business Corridor (Tumakuru Road to Hosur Road).

> Nelamangala–Tavarekere–Bidadi Intermediate Ring Road to be constructed.

Water and urban infrastructure

> Cauvery Phase-VI water supply project announced at Rs 6,939 crore with assistance from JICA.
> Project to supply an additional six TMC of water to Bengaluru. Currently 2,225 MLD supplied through earlier Cauvery phases
> Upgradation of primary stormwater drains and lake development works at Rs 273 crore. Stormwater drain works under World Bank-assisted Karnataka Water Security and Disaster Resilience Programme at Rs 2,000 crore.
> State to continue Rs 7,000-crore annual grant for Bengaluru’s development.
> Revised Master Plan-2041 expected to be implemented by end of 2027.
> Comprehensive Mobility Plan to be prepared within six months.
> City corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority to raise resources through municipal bonds.

Airport and major infrastructure

> Feasibility report to be prepared for a second airport in Bengaluru in consultation with the Airports Authority of India to decongest Kempegowda International Airport.

Health and education

> 1,000-bed charitable super-speciality hospital to be built at Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases in collaboration with the Azim Premji Foundation.
> Regional centre of Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research to be set up at BBMP Multispeciality Hospital, Govindarajanagar at Rs 15 crore.
> IVF centres to be established at Vani Vilas Hospital (Bengaluru) and Gulbarga Medical College at Rs 1 crore each
> Victoria Hospital to be renamed Shantaveri Gopalagowda Hospital.
> Rs 10 crore allocated for a boys’ hostel for MBBS and BDS students of Bangalore Medical College.
> Digital Library and Study Centres for competitive exam aspirants in Bengaluru and Dharwad at Rs 10 crore each.
> Two “Vidyarthi Indira Canteens” to be started in Bengaluru.

Social welfare and housing

> Ten working women’s hostels for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to be established in cities including Bengaluru.
> Four additional working women’s hostels (capacity of 100 each) to be set up in Bengaluru due to high demand.
> Sri Maharshi Valmiki Administrative Soudha to be constructed at Sumanahalli at Rs 50 crore

> 50 post-matric hostels for Backward Classes students to be started in high-demand districts including Bengaluru.
> Minority Development and Training Centre to be established in Kengeri at Rs 5 crore
> Modern laundries to be set up at Dhobi Ghats in Bengaluru and Mysuru at Rs 75 lakh each
> Loans of up to Rs 5 lakh at 4% interest for unemployed youth to start laundries.

Sports and infrastructure

80,000-seating cricket stadium and international-standard sports complex named “KHB Surya Kreeda Grama” to be built in Anekal taluk by the Karnataka Housing Board.

Environment and ecology

> 5,676 acres of Hesaraghatta grassland to be declared as the Greater Hesaraghatta Grassland Conservation Reserve.
> Centre of Excellence for kayaking and canoeing to be established at Hesaraghatta Lake under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, which is an arrangement in which the government and private companies work together to finance, build and operate infrastructure or public services.
> Leopard rehabilitation centre to be set up in Bannerghatta at Rs 5 crore.
> 153-acre Basavanna Biodiversity Park to be developed in Madappanahalli, Bengaluru North.
> 100 Miyawaki parks to be created in urban areas.

Governance and technology

> Rs 25-crore integrated digital platform to analyse data from multiple traffic agencies.
> Urban Policing Innovation Centre to be set up with support from CSR funds.
> E-courts to be introduced on a pilot basis in Bengaluru, Dharwad, Kalaburagi and Mysuru.
> Rs 5 crore allocated for infrastructure upgrades at Advocate General’s offices.

Other initiatives

> Five-year disaster management programme worth Rs 5,000 crore to address flooding in Bengaluru.
> CT scan centres for livestock at veterinary hospitals attached to Bengaluru and Bidar veterinary colleges.
> Pilot breast and cervical cancer screening and vaccination programme in Bengaluru.