The Metropolitan Bengaluru Municipal Corporation administration on Thursday presented a budget of ₹11,157.83 crore for the year 2023-24, giving a push to improve infrastructure with focus on easing traffic congestion, building grade separators, white topping of roads and better connectivity. Calling it an ‘Atma Nirbhar Budget’, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Special Commissioner (Finance) Jayaram Rayapura said, “While the total receipts will be ₹11,163.97 crore, the total expenditure will be ₹11,157.83 crore, thereby resulting in a surplus budget of ₹6.14 crore.”
The budget has been presented with a firm belief in the norm, “stretch your legs as much as your bed” and is aimed to bring financial discipline, self-reliance and self-sufficiency in the BBMP’s finances, he said. Among the proposals are construction of 10 new city plazas in residential areas at a total cost of ₹50 crore, Rayapura said in his budget speech. To address traffic congestion at bottleneck areas, widening of roads will be taken up at a cost of ₹150 crore. The proposals also include developing 75 major junctions. An integrated overbridge would be constructed from Yeshwantpur Railway Station to New BEL Road in collaboration with Suburban Railway to provide direct connectivity to Mathikere, Sanjay Nagar and Yeshwantpur at a cost of ₹200 crore. To decongest Bengaluru traffic, three flyovers have been planned from Gokula Road near Mathikere turn at ₹40 crore, ORR-Pipeline Junction at Jalahalli at ₹65 crore and at Sadashiva nagar Police Station Circle at ₹40 crore. Further, grade separators will be built at Wilson Garden at ₹85 crore, at Yelahanka flyover at ₹60 crore, Hoody Junction-ITPL Big Bazaar-Hope Farm at ₹124 crore, Minerva Junction at ₹137 crore, and Suranjan Das Junction to Old Madras Road at ₹104 crore White topping work of 150 km of road will be taken up in the next fiscal at a cost of ₹1,410 crore.
BBMP has earmarked ₹450 crore for comprehensive development of 350 km of arterial and sub-arterial roads on ‘Light Tender SURE’ model. An elevated rotary flyover and seamless connecting flyover will be constructed at a cost of ₹345 crore to provide better connectivity to Sir M Visvesvaraya Railway Station at Baiyappanahalli, Rayapura said. A sum of ₹300 crore has been earmarked for reconstruction of the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board-excavated roads in 110 villages, he added.
