From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Aug 23: A special meeting of Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials will be convened to tackle all rain-related problems and also to discuss the strategies to be adopted during heavy downpour situations, according to state transport minister R Ashok, who is also Bangalore Urban district in-charge minister.
               
The meeting will be convened within a week, Ashok said and mentioned that BBMP mayor S K Nataraj has been instructed to convene the meeting to take stock of the corporation’s preparedness for tackling rain-related incidents.

Functioning of a control room, availability of manpower and equipment with the BBMP would be discussed during the meeting, he said.

The meeting would chalk out strategies for prevention of flooding low-lying areas in the city. Illegal constructions on raja kaluve and tank-beds would be demolished in the city, he said.
 

Seven traffic and transit management centres for Bangalore in three months
               
Work on seven traffic and transit management centres (TTMCs) at Shantinagar, Koramangala, Whitefield, Vijayanagar, Banashankari, Yeshwanthpur, and Domlur will be completed in three months period and they are expected to solve vehicle parking problems in the city.

Ashok said the TTMC, constructed at a cost of Rs 4 crore at Bannerghatta, would be inaugurated on August 29. TTMCs at Kengeri and Jayanagar have been already inaugurated.

The department has decided to construct 10 TTMCs in the city under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) of the centre.
Sufficient parking space for two-wheelers and cars has been provided in all TTMCs located in the city. Nearly 10,000 cars would be parked in these TTMCs.

The union government, the state government and the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BBMTC) would share the cost of construction by contributing 35 per cent, 15 per cent, and 50 per cent  of the cost respectively to develop TTMCs under the JNNURM.

The centre had sanctioned Rs 116.55 crore while the state would contribute Rs 49.95 crore and the BBMTC would spend Rs 313.15 crore to build all TTMCs.

The TTMC at Shantinagar would be used to house all transport department offices. Buses to Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu and parts of state would be operated from Shantingar TTMC.

The minister said tenders would be invited shortly to rent out complexes at TTMCs, which would generate additional revenue to the BMTC.

He said seven TTMC have been sanctioned to Mysore and one has already become operational. Work on the rest would be completed in the next two months.