From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Jan 6: With some of the ministers expressing serious misgivings at the State Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday over the virtual weekend lockdown or curfew from Friday night 10 pm till Monday morning 5 am for two weeks till January 19 as well as well as the daily night curfew to curb the spike in Covid/Omicron infections in the State, the State Government is likely to review the restrictions next week on January 14 or 15.

The State Government is likely to hold a meeting with the medical experts and Technical Advisory Committee next week to review the situation.

Briefing reporters after the State Cabinet meeting, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy indicated that many ministers expressed their feelings on the issue and felt the need to review the continuation of the daioy night curfew from 10 pm till 5 am as also the weekend curfew restrictions throughout the State, especially in view of the lower or comparatively negligible positivity rate in many districts.

Madhuswamy said the State Government had imposed weekend lockdown starting Friday night till January 19 as part of the precaution to contain the spread of the Covid/Omicron infection cases in some districts, particularly Bengaluru.

The restrictions and Covid containment guidelines were clamped across the State as a preventive measure and in the interest of public health, he explained.

In reply to a question, the minister said the week-end lockdown and continuation of the night curfew had nothing to do with the padayatra planned by the Congress from Sunday demanding implementation of Mekedatu project.

The State Government cannot be disturbed or toppled by holding padayatra by the Congress, Madhuswamy said asserting that the government wants to protect lives and livelihood of people.

Free Traffic Movement to BIAL

The minister said the State Cabinet has asked five agencies of Bengaluru City and Karnataka Rail Infrastructure Development Company Limited (KRIDE) to prepare a master plan to ensure free movement of traffic to Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) and as part of the plans to decongesting traffic on busy junction at Hebbal, and heavy traffic on Tumakuru Road and K R Puram Road.

The city’s civic agencies - BDA, BBMP, BMTC, BWSSB and KRIDE - have been asked to prepare the plan and submit it to the State government at the earliest possible.

The minister mentioned that the civic agencies of the city to have been asked to come up with a plan to streamline transportation in the city, for easing traffic by increasing lanes from the city to Airport from existing three to five.

“Cost of the projects are yet to be estimated. The funds for the project will be sanctioned in the next budget,” Madhuswamy said.

BMRCL has already started a comprehensive study to ease the flow of traffic at Hebbal junction and to increase its capacity based on projected traffic density in 2051, the Minister said.

12 more road projects

A total 12 projects were listed by the minister which were aimed at increasing the number of traffic lanes of various major roads in the city.

According to the proposal by various civic agencies, three flyovers are proposed along Ballari road to increase the number of lanes from Bengaluru city to the Airport from three to five.

Other road widening projects included:

• three-lane underpass from Tumakuru Road to KR Puram,
• two-lane flyover from KR Puram towards the city,
• two-lane flyover from KR Puram towards Airport,
• widening service road from Aiport to KR Puram from two-lanes to three-lanes and
• widening KR Puram-Tumakuru road to four lanes among others.

The Minister said an elevated skywalk has been proposed near the busy traffic intersection at Banashankari, located close to Banashankari Metro Station, bus stand, Banashankari temple and the market.
The skywalk would help pedestrians and ease the movement of BMTC buses at the busy junction.

Rs 6,000 cr for Bengaluru Development

Madhuswamy said the Cabinet approved Rs 6,000 crore to Bengaluru for implementing various projects in the next three years.

A sum of Rs 2,000 crore each would be spent each year over a three year period. Funds would be allocated under the Chief Minister’s Nagarotthana scheme, he said.

The funds will be used for the development of basic infrastructure in the city and is in addition to the works taken up by BBMP, he said.

He also said more facilities for tourists at the world famous Jog Falls, where water from river Sharavathi takes a plunge from a height of 810 feet, the State Cabinet decided to construct a rope-way, a five star hotel, coffee bars and other facilities on Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Transfer (DBFOT) model.

A rope-way would be developed across the river Sharavathi. The estimated cost of the construction of new facilities would be Rs 116 crore, the minister said.

Located in the midst of dense forest areas in Shivamogga district, the Jog Falls, over a period of time, has emerged as one of the most favoured monsoon tourist destinations.

Nearly 10 lakh tourists visit the Jog Falls during the rainy season. The Jog Management Authority (JMA) too has been constituted to develop tourism.

A sum of Rs 3885 crore has given administrative approval for implementation of the Nagorathana scheme in 302 urban local bodies in the State.

Under the scheme, infrastructure would be developed in city corporations, city municipal councils, town municipal councils, and town panchayats.

A sum of Rs 40 crore, Rs 30 crore, Rs 10 crore and Rs five crore would be given to city corporations, city municipal councils, town municipal councils, and town panchayats, respectively during 2020-21 - 2024-25.

The State cabinet approved the Jal Jeevan Mission project for ensuring piped water supply to all residents of the State and enabling the government to borrow Rs 1167 crore from the World Bank.

The total cost of the project is Rs 9152 crore. The state and central government would bear 45% of the cost each and 10% by local bodies.

Other decisions

• Rs 12 cr approved for construction of M H Ambareesh Memorial at Sree Kanteerava Studios
• Rs 93 cr approved for filling water of 22 tanks Bengaluru East and Hosakote taluks
• Rs 19.73 cr approved for court complex in Karkala in Udupi district