A slew of initiatives were announced for developing Bengaluru in the 2022-23 Karnataka budget, which was revealed on Friday, March 4. This includes a new 350 acre park in the Yelahanka area, a 37 km road connecting Hebbal and Sarjapur, and an additional 33 km of the Namma Metro to be added this year. The new park will come up in Yelahanka’s Jarakabande area and will be modelled on the lines of other green spaces like Cubbon Park and Lalbagh located in central Bengaluru.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that the suburban railway project will be completed by 2026 at a cost of Rs 15,267 crore. In addition, 33 km of metro rail lines will be built in Bengaluru. “Metro works have been taken up to construct a 58.19 km long metro line connecting Central Silk Board with Kempegowda International Airport and this will be completed by March 2025,” the CM said.
Drinking water through the Mekedatu project, Namma Clinics in each ward, new skywalks, and redevelopment of major roads in the city were also included among the promises for developing the capital. This includes the 37 km stretch from Hebbal to Sarjapur through Agara, Koramangala and Dairy Circle at a cost of Rs 15,000 crore.
Here are selected initiatives earmarked in the budget for improving Bengaluru:
- In the backdrop of increasing demand for green space in the rapidly growing city, for the first time the government will develop a multi-purpose ‘Atal Bihari Vajpayee Park’ in 350 acres of government land in Jarakabande area of Yelahanka on the model of Lalbagh-Cubbon Park.
- Detailed Project Report (DPR) to take up Phase 3 of the Bengaluru Metro project at an estimated cost of Rs 11,250 crore will be submitted to the Union government for approval. This covers a distance of 32 km on the outer ring road from Hebbal to JP Nagar and 13 km between Hosahalli and Kadabagere.
- Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir and Bengaluru Drinking Water Project will be implemented by getting required clearances from the appropriate authority of the Union government. A grant of Rs 1,000 crore will be provided in the current year for this project.
- 438 Namma Clinics to be set up in Bengaluru, where the services of detection of non-communicable diseases and referral for higher treatment to specialists will be provided.
- Rs 15,000 crore for developing a 37 km long road from Sarjapur to Hebbal, through Agara, Koramangala and Dairy Circle. Action will be taken to prepare DPR in 2022-2023.
- In the year 2022-23, 33 km of metro line will be operationalised. With this, Namma Metro will have a total 89 km line. Metro works have been taken up to construct a 58.19 km long metro line connecting Central Silk Board with Kempegowda International Airport, which will be completed by March 2025.
- Work on connecting Metro stations with Indian Railways stations will be taken up at a cost of Rs 55 crore in Whitefield, KR Puram, Byappanahalli, Yeshwantpur, Jnanabharathi and Yelahanka.
- A skywalk will be constructed at an expenditure of Rs 45 crore at Banashankari junction to connect the metro station with the bus stand for the safety of pedestrians and street vendors.
- Bengaluru suburban railway project is proposed to be completed by 2026 at an estimated expenditure of Rs 15,267 crore. In this project, four corridors are envisaged to be constructed with a total length of 148 km.
- ‘Green Expo’, on lines of the Singapore model, will be constructed in the heart of Bengaluru on 105 acres of land belonging to NGEF. Demonstrations on eco-friendly technology, eco-friendly transport, green infrastructure, green start-up and others will be provided here for the public.
- Grade separator/flyover work to be taken up to decongest Goraguntepalya junction and to facilitate signal free movement for vehicles.
- Public are encouraged to donate their organs posthumously. In this direction, the Institute of Gastroenterology and Organ transplant in Bengaluru has already been started. The organ retrieval centre will commence in the current year through NIMHANS.
- A mega jewellery park will be established in the city under a Public Private Partnership model to provide forward and backward linkage facility to goldsmiths, jewellery workers, and micro and small enterprises.
- A grant of Rs 1,500 crore is earmarked to develop mega storm water drains to cater to heavy rains and prevent floods by developing Rajakaluve in Bengaluru city.