Bengaluru: Bengaluru - the money spinner of the state - has finally got its due with the state Budget setting aside a substantial amount for improving its infrastructure and reviving its water bodies.
In the offing are elevated corridors and signal- free corridors, white topping of roads, affordable housing, and measures to solve both the garbage menace and flooding the city often sees in heavy rain, if the Budget is to be believed.
An additional Rs 500 crore has been set aside to solve the garbage crisis dogging the city and Rs 800 crore for construction of storm water drains to prevent flooding. As much as Rs 250 crore has been provided for developing the 110 villages and city and town municipalities added to the BBMP and traffic management and improving footpaths will reportedly be given priority.
While the Budget has promised to extend the TenderSure scheme to old city roads and the new central business district , it has made no financial allocation for these projects.
If the Chief Minister is to be believed, work will soon begin on elevated corridors running from Silk Board to Hebbal Junction (North-South), KR Puram to Tumkur Road (East-West1) and Varthur Lake to Mysore Road (East-West2) as well as on two 100 km long linking corridors. The corridors, built a cost of Rs 18,000 crore, are expected to ease traffic conditions, especially in the high density IT and BT areas.
About 300 kms of roads will be provided with white topping to ensure longevity and 1,500 kms of roads built to provide alternative routes. Grade separators will be constructed at the busy Suranjanadas Road-Old Madras Road and Sarjapura – Haraluru Road junctions , besides the Hulimavu Junction on Bannerghatta Road and the Arakere Junction. Also, the Indiranagar, Austin Town and RT Nagar commercial complexes are in for a facelift .
Mr Siddaramaiah claimed 268 roads covering 350 kms in the city are being developed under the Chief Minister’s Nagarothana Scheme at a cost of Rs 417.17 crore and another 112 main roads are being given a facelift by the PWD at a cost of Rs 260 crore. The BBMP meanwhile is developing ward level roads at a cost of Rs 797 crore, according to him.
Three more CAR battalions for city
The home department has been allocated Rs 4,462 crore in the state budget. Stepping up patrolling, providing safe residential facility for women constables, establishing four reserve police battalions, and making police stations people friendly are some of the key features allocated to the home department.
However, there is no special grant to ease traffic on city roads. There are no special measures to tackle terrorism. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah proposed to establish a new KSRP Battalion at Tumakuru and three CAR Battalions at Bengaluru over the next three years.
For providing safe residential facility for women constables, hostels with strength of 100 each will be constructed in KSRP Belgaum and Bengaluru. Also, establishment of five new women police stations has been proposed in the coming financial year.
In a bid to create people friendly atmosphere in police stations, Rs 1 lakh will be provided for each station to improve infrastructure facilities in the existing police stations. An allocation of Rs 10 crore has been made for this alone.
To strengthen patrolling system, 200 patrolling vehicles of ‘Hoysala (Bengaluru), Garuda (Mysuru) model’ will be provided to other Commissionerates along with Bengaluru. Currently, there are only 184 such vehicles and its proposed to increase it 384.
Under the police modernization scheme, it is proposed to construct buildings for 35 police stations, circle offices, sub-division offices over the next two years.
Health sector gets booster shot
The budget has provided Rs 5,032 crore for the Health and Family Welfare Department and has focused on many key areas. Many important projects will be initiated with the assistance from the National Health Mission. Trauma care centers will be set up in five places in the state at a cost of Rs 52.96 crore under the Aapath Bandhava scheme to give emergency treatment to highway accident victims.
Also, oral cancer detection programme will be taken up in all districts, for which Rs 1.66 crore has been allocated. In good news to dialysis patients, a 25-bed special dialysis unit will be set up at K.C. General Hospital, Bengaluru at an estimated cost of Rs 4.49 crore.
Development of dialysis facilities will be encouraged in collaboration with not-for-profit organisations in areas where dialysis facilities are required. Under the ‘Samagra Mathru Arogya Palana scheme’, pregnant women will be given mosquito nets and mosquito repellent creams to protect them from mosquito-borne diseases such. Patients can now avail of free diagnostic laboratory services at government hospitals.
