Govt spent Rs 17,014 cr to build roads, flyovers and underpass

Bengaluru: For the last six years, the state government has given a huge amount of funds to Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) for the development of Bangalore. However, the lack of civic infrastructure in Bengaluru is evident.

The statistics show that the state government has given Bangalore Rs 28,356 crore in six years. More than Rs 17, 014 crores (60 percent) of this money has been spent on road works, including construction of flyovers and underpasses. Other areas where the BBMP has spent liberally are stormwater drains and garbage disposal.

The urban development department (UDD) has prepared a consolidated figure of expenditure for BBMP between 2016 and 2022 ahead of the state budget scheduled on February 17. Before allocating new funds to the city of Bangalore, the government usually reviews the previous allocations and their utilization. The upcoming assembly elections will also play a role in how much money will flow to the city which has 28 constituencies. BJP is keen to win most of these constituencies.

An analysis of the grants released from 2016 to 2022 revealed that Bengaluru received huge sums of money during the tenure of four different Chief Ministers. For example, Bangalore received a total of Rs 9,791 crore during Siddaramaiah's tenure, most of which was close to the 2018 election year, media reported.

When HD Kumaraswamy was the CM for 14 months, 8,343 crore rupees were given to Bangalore under the New Urban Development Scheme. Some of the works announced under this program were changed in September 2019, months after BS Yeddyurappa ousted the JD(S) leader.

During his two-year tenure as chief minister, Yeddyurappa had given a separate Rs 1,099 crore for garbage disposal under the Shuddha Bengaluru scheme and another Rs 1,000 crore for rehabilitating roads dug up to lay water and sewer lines in the outskirts of the city.

Over 8,123 crore rupees has been given to BBMP by the state government in almost two years since Basavaraja Bommai took the helm. While most of it (Rs 6,000 crore) was spent on road works, the government released a special grant of Rs 1,850 crore to reconstruct storm water drains after the floods. The government has released Rs 273 crore to improve high density corridors.

It has sought another Rs 1,400 crore for white topping new roads and Rs 3,000 crore for flyovers and road-asphalting works. But sources said that BBMP has not sanctioned it yet. A social activist called the BBMP's current system of allocating funds unscientific. It does not follow development criteria or measure the results of previous allocations, he said.

The Nagarothana program is a temporary way of disbursing funds. What we need is decentralization of grants by a well-established and independent State Finance Commission similar to the Central Finance Commission. He said it is very important to measure various development indices like public transport, schools and toilets before deciding on grants.