From PRR to mobility cards, Budget promises remain unfulfilled

In his 2021-22 Budget speech, former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa too had promised that work on PRR project will begin and that global tenders will be called under the public-private partnership model

In the 2020-21 Budget, under the banner ‘comprehensive development of Bengaluru’, the State government had proposed multiple projects with the promise of improving existing infrastructure and mass transit systems. A year later, as the Karnataka government is set to unveil a new budget, a majority of the promised projects still remain on paper. 

The ambitious Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) is a case in point. It has had a mention in almost every budget in the last five to six years. In his 2021-22 Budget speech, former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa too had promised that work on PRR project will begin and that global tenders will be called under the public-private partnership model.

In a cabinet meeting that was held on February 10, the State cabinet gave administrative approval for floating the global tender. It was also decided to give the private developer permission to collect toll fees for a period of 50 years. But the major hurdle– convincing farmers to part with their land—remains unresolved. Farmers, who staged a protest earlier this month, have been demanding that the State government fix market prices to acquire the land. The project needs over 2600 acres of land. 

Meanwhile, rail activists in the city have been demanding that the government build a robust suburban rail network in the city instead of focusing on only road-related projects. After a long delay, the suburban rail project was approved by the Central Government last year, and a ₹850 crore grant was earmarked for it in the State budget. 

Tracking the suburban rail project

So far, K-RIDE (Rail Infrastructure Development Company (Karnataka) Limited) has floated a tender to implement the corridor from Baiyappanahalli to Chikkabanvara). The agency is likely to start the construction work in the next financial year. 

Activists have also demanded that K-RIDE prioritise KSR-Devanahalli that will help thousands of people travelling to Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) and those working in the airport campus.