The Hindu Business Line : What's happening

For a city that was known as the "Pensioners' Paradise", Bangalore is striving to earn the label of `the most happening' international city. But severe growth pains and the government's slow response in meeting the urgent need for world class infrastructure are threatening to tarnish the image of Brand Bangalore.

A relentless campaign by the industry and citizens over the past year has resulted in the government announcing its resolve to expedite long pending infrastructure projects.

To cope with the future growth of the cityworld class infrastructure would be developed in five years, says P.G.R. Sindhia, Minister for Finance, Infrastructure and Industry. Of the Rs 20,000 earmarked to develop infrastructure in Karnataka, Bangalore would get a large chunk.

Stilted expressway

A stilted expressway would be built at a cost of Rs 400 crore, in a public-private partnership, along the Hosur Road to ease traffic congestion in the area which houses a large number of software companies. However, commuters eagerly await moves to connect the Electronic City with the IT corridor of Bannerghatta Road and Sarjapur Road. As the Electronic City reached saturation point, newer segments cropped up at Whitefield, Bannerghatta and Sarjapur without any commensurate development of infrastructure.

The upcoming Bangalore international airport at Devanahalli, about 35 km from the city, with a proposed annual handling capacity of 8 million passengers, is expected to vastly improve air services to the city. The six-lane expressway connecting to the new airport is expected to be ready by 2008.

Improved connectivity

The Devanahalli area is developing into a greater Bangalore, while plans to connect the area through a 109-km peripheral ring road are expected to provide good connectivity to key habitats in the IT corridor employing about 2.5 lakh.

Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) has spent Rs 60 crore in 18 months to strengthen the road network and plans to asphalt and upgrade major roads at a cost of Rs 150 crore. These efforts would be supplemented by a Rs 140-crore, 139-km corridor project implemented by other local agencies.

The development of the busy Airport Road, which has come under severe stress as it is the only link to the existing HAL Airport, additional roads in areas like Koramangala and SJP Road, and subways and pedestrian over-bridges are expected to ease commuters' woes.

The Bangalore Water Supply & Sewerage Board has undertaken a Rs 350-crore Cauvery water project to provide drinking water to colonies located on the city's peripheries.

However, it is the prestigious Hi-Tech city project conceived by the Bangalore Development Authority that is expected to give Bangalore a new character. The Rs 491-crore project to create self-contained infrastructure such as schools, healthcare and other modern facilities is expected to set the tone for the future development of Bangalore.

However, all these promised facilities would prove inadequate until the much-delayed Rs 6,000-crore Metro Rail Project takes off. A growing city needs a fast transit system to improve its overall efficiency.

More Stories on : Infrastructure | Karnataka

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