Bengaluru, March 5 (IANS): The crumbling infrastructure of India's tech city got a lease of life on Thursday, when Karnataka Chief Minister announced Rs 8,772-crore budget bonanza for its development in fiscal 2020-21.
"As Bengaluru contributes 50 per cent of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) to the southern state, I am providing Rs 8,772 crore for the rapid development of infrastructure projects across the city," said Yediyurappa while presenting the fiscal 2020-21 state budget in the assembly here.
Noting that hundreds of people from across the country flock to the 'garden city' for livelihood and growth opportunities, the Chief Minister said the ruling BJP government would give special attention to Bengaluru for the sake of the southern state's overall economic development.
"In the action plan for the outgoing fiscal (2019-20), civic works valued at Rs 8,344 crore were approved for execution under the "Chief Minister's New City Development scheme and they are in progress to improve the basic civic amenities across Bengaluru," Yediyurappa told the lawmakers.
Under the 'Shubhra Bengaluru' scheme, Rs 999 crore will be spent for solid waste management of the city, which generates over 4,000 tonnes of garbage.
"About Rs 417 crore will be spent in cleaning up the lakes across the city, which have been encroached and polluted with sewage water and discharge from drains in the surrounding residential areas," said Yediyurappa.
Of the budget for the expanded city, Rs 500 crore has been earmarked for relaying roads dug up for laying water supply pipelines and other utilities in 110 villages that were added to the burgeoning city over a decade ago.
"We will commence work in the ensuing year on the 56km long outer ring road around the city from south to north and east to west, which is estimated to cost Rs 14,500 crore over the years to decongest the city's choked roads," said the Chief Minister.
The budget has also earmarked Rs 500 crore for the 160km suburban rail service network to be executed with equal contribution by the Indian Railways, which has estimated its total cost to be Rs 18,000 crore over the next 5 years.
"To encourage public transport service and minimize use of private vehicles and ease the grid lock in the city's thoroughfares, Rs 600 crore has been allotted to the state-run Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) to purchase 1,500 diesel-run buses for increasing the bus services," pointed out Yediyurappa.
Under the central government's FAME-2 scheme, 300 air-conditioned electric buses and 500 ordinary electric buses at a cost of Rs 100 crore will be added to the BMTC fleet.
"About 90 electric buses will be added under the smart city project to provide last mile connectivity to metro rail commuters across the city," he noted.
A feasibility study will be conducted to develop an integrated multi-modal transport hub, with private partnership to reduce heavy vehicle density in the city.
"To supply an additional 775 million liters of drinking water to the 1.1-crore denizens across the city, the 5th phase of the Cauvery water supply scheme will be completed by 2023 at a cost of Rs 5,550 crore," Yediyurappa added.