City’s vertical growth will spell doom

Bangalore: If the city’s creaking infrastructure, and the innumerable challenges that face its one crore residents in terms of water and power shortages, and traffic gridlocked on roads that are potholed and barely usable wasn’t enough, the state government has taken a complete about turn on development, and proposed a vertical growth plan instead of the horizontal favoured by urban planners.

Chief Minister Sidd­ara­maiah’s statement that city should go vertical has cheered only the real estate sector as many mammoth projects that are awaiting clearance will get the nod. But environmentalists and city planners are flabbergasted as the city has already reached saturation point and is struggling to cope with ever-increasing density.

It may be recalled here that the Chief Minister had said in the assembly a couple of months ago, that projects with no source of water will not be cleared.

With apartments in Bangalore completely dependent on borewell water and Cauvery water, provided only for drinking, there is the danger of the water shortage becoming even more severe as more apartments come up under this plan.

This is the reason the BWSSB stopped issuing NOCs for apartment construction sending the real estate sector into a tizzy. However, in a matter of a months, the decision has been reversed and the water authority will have to clear all the files.

The Chief Minister's ‘U’ turn on Thursday where he has given the sanction to go vertical will see a staggering 30,000 flats coming up in the city in three years.

Sources in the secretariat say that a lot has happened in this last month.

“With the Congress facing a huge debacle in the four assembly elections, there is pressure on the state Congress to raise funds for elections. Land conversions, sanctioning of projects be it related to real estate, power, dams, bridges, suddenly there is movement of files at a rapid pace,” sources said.

Close confidantes of the Chief Minister like Byrathi Suresh, H C Mahadevappa and Satish Jarkiholi have been given the task of raising funds.

Sources point to the sudden transfer of BMRDA chief PB Ramamurthy as a case in point. “He was objecting to change of land use to an extent of 800 acres in periphery of the city. Irked the government shunted him out and gave additional charge to KR Shrinivas who is currently handling Urban Development,” sources said.

Environmentalists and town planners however plan to raise their objections to the vertical growth of the city. A noted environmentalist who did not wish to named said: “The CM’s heart is in the right place but the decision to further concretize the city is very surprising. I am not sure if he is ill-advised or compelled to take this decision but vertical growth will further cripple the city.

There is absolutely no space or infrastructure in the city to accommodate more people. The city moves at 10 kms per hour, there is no water in summer and groundwater is contaminated and depleted, power is a major concern, pollution is all time high. When this is the situation how can the government go vertical and allow builders to come up with more projects?” he asked.