Activists in Bengaluru are optimistic about Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa’s announcements made on Monday during the presentation of the state Budget, regarding the city’s transport needs. In a major highlight, the CM has allocated Rs 850 crore for the Bengaluru suburban rail project. Another Rs 813 crore has been allocated for doubling the Yeshwanthpur-Channasandra and Bommanahalli-Hosur rail lines, on a 50% cost sharing basis. The project is slated to be completed in 2023. The CM further said that the Union government is likely to approve the implementation of the 58.2 km-long Outer Ring Road – Airport Metro (Network 2A and 2B), at an estimated cost of Rs 14,788 crore, in Bengaluru. Rs 1,600 crore has already been spent on pre-project activities, the CM added.
Rajkumar Dugar, convenor of Citizens for Citizens (C4C), said, “These are excellent allocations for improving the traffic situation in Bengaluru. We hope this will follow quick action on ground as traffic is the biggest challenge faced by the city residents and those of the surrounding towns.” Similarly, Sanjeev Dyamannavar, an activist and transport analyst, said these allocations are a much needed improvement from the budget of recent years. “State government now should ensure that any hurdles related to land acquisition so that the suburban rail project can be completed expeditiously. This is a very important project as the city is continuously expanding and traffic snarls are a major headache,” he said.
Commenting on the allocations, Srinivas Alavilli, head of civic participation, Janaagraha (a non-profit working for urban governance), said, “[The projects] are really welcome steps. It is gratifying to see suburban trains get the attention they lacked for decades. The doubling projects will help reduce traffic on some of the most notorious traffic corridors on the Outer Ring Road.”
On the Metro line to the airport, Srinivas said, “Metro on the Outer Ring Road should have been built first; that it is yet to be approved conveys how broken our planning is. Reconciling bus lanes and Metro and suburban trains is critical for long-term success of the public transport system.”
Rajkumar of C4C also criticised the state government for reprioritising the suburban rail project corridors, He said, “Not taking up the airport suburban rail line on priority is definitely a setback for Bengaluru city residents.”
To make the usage of public transport easier, CM Yediyurappa as part of his Budget speech said that action will be taken to implement the ‘One Nation, One Card’ scheme before August 2021. With this, commuters can use the same card to pay Metro and bus fares.