A bulk of the proposals for Bengaluru in the 2021-22 State Budget were from the ambitious Bengaluru Mission 2022, a programme announced by former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, who had also held charge of the city.
A year down the line, with a new Chief Minister in place, a few of the projects under Bengaluru Mission 2022 have started to take shape or are nearing completion but the rest are stagnating.
The three tree parks proposed in the budget at Turahalli, Kadugodi, and Machohalli have come up. While the State Government has formed a company to run waste processing plants, K-100, the beautification of a stretch of stormwater drains is in the advanced stages of implementation.
However, most other proposals are yet to take off. The budget proposed redeveloping Mysore Lamps Factory and NGEF lands into a Bengaluru Experience Centre and an exhibition space, respectively. However, these remain on the drawing board.
None of the infrastructure projects, except Namma Metro, that were part of Mission 2022, have made significant progress. Many of them have not even been tendered yet.
A case in point is the upgrade of the 12 high-density corridors covering 191 km. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has ordered cancellation of tenders twice for the project in recent months, after sensing a scam in projected inflated costs.
Though the Cabinet has approved floating global tenders for the Peripheral Ring Road on the BOOT model, the land acquisition impasse is far from resolved. Meanwhile, the Union Government approved the 58-km Outer Ring Road - Airport Metro network, for which work has begun.
Many projects that are part of Mission 2022 did not make it to the 2021-22 budget. For instance, synchronisation of traffic signals in the city, public access to road history, bringing 400 km of roads under annual maintenance contract, revamp of the sahaya portal as a one stop-portal for grievance redressal, and rejuvenation of 25 lakes were all part of Mission 2022, but not in the budget.
“If Mr. Yediyurappa had continued as Chief Minister, these proposals were expected to be part of the 2022-23 budget. But with a new CM, who has announced ₹6,000 crore for Nava Nagarothana, the priorities have changed,” said a senior official.
However, Mr. Bommai is keen on some projects of Mission 2022, which he has been championing ever since he took over. These include revamping the sahaya app, which will likely find a mention in the budget he will present on March 4, sources said.
“There is no clarity yet on whether he will continue Mission 2022 started by his mentor and predecessor or whether he will give it a silent burial. It is a political question,” said a senior civic official.
( Ahead of the 2022-23 budget, this series will look at whether the Government kept the promises it made to citizens of Bengaluru in infrastructure, health, and other key areas.)
