Old wine in a new bottle: Hardly any new projects for Bengaluru in State Budget

Allocation includes ₹6,000 crore under Amruth Nagarothana to be carried out over a period of three years

The 2022-3 State Budget’s commitment towards the overall development of Bengaluru is underwhelming, especially as polls to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) are expected to be held in a few months.

Though the Budget allocates ₹8,409 crore for the city, many of the projects mentioned are either those that were announced earlier or are ongoing.

Moreover, a majority of the ₹8,409 crore comes from ₹6,000 crore allotted under the Amruth Nagarothana scheme that is to be implemented over the next three years. This has come under sharp criticism from the opposition Congress.

The scheme, announced by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Independence Day last year, covers various projects such as development of roads, grade separators, lakes, stormwater drains, parks, and slums 

Some of the projects that have found a repeat mention in the Budget include decongesting traffic at Goraguntepalya junction for signal-free vehicular movement and the development of a small and micro-industrial park.

After heavy rains wreaked havoc on Bengaluru’s infrastructure, Mr. Bommai had announced ₹1,500 crore for stormwater drains. The same has found mention in the Budget, along with proposed development of the Madiwala and the Yele Mallappa Shetty lakes.

Policy specialist on urban governance Mathew Idiculla maintained that the Budget was along expected lines with no major surprises or pathbreaking ideas for developing Bengaluru. “But for a few interesting proposals like the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Park and Namma Clinics in all wards, in terms of infrastructure, there are no new initiatives. Unfortunately, the Government continues to rely on the public-private partnership model and top-down ad-hoc schemes like Amruth Nagaroththana for infrastructure development,” he said.