Repairing broken footpaths and roads is at the top of citizens’ wishlist for Bengaluru, as per information collected from residents across the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP) 243 wards. The report of the seventh edition of the My City My Budget (MCMB) campaign showed that over 2,438 people wished for better footpaths in the city, while 2,556 people wished for better road infrastructure.
The MCMB was started in 2015 by the BBMP in association with the NGO Janaagraha, along with various Residents’ Welfare Associations and civil society groups. According to the report, 24% of the 16,261 inputs received prioritised repairing footpaths, 23% for roads, 20% for roadside drains, 17% for street lights, and 16% for solid waste management. “Cumulatively, footpaths, roads and drains constituted an overwhelming 67% of submitted inputs for FY 2023-24,” the report said.
Over 473 km of broken footpaths must be repaired, and 953 km of new footpaths are required for Bengaluru, the citizens said, adding that potholes on 898 km of roads must be fixed and 542 km of roads need to be asphalted again. Over 2,792 inputs addressed the need for repairing and desilting drains, while 2,729 inputs highlighted streetlights. About 2,611 inputs addressed the maintenance and repair of the city’s solid waste management system.
To collect responses from citizens, a special ‘budget bus’ was flagged off on November 24, which went to every BBMP ward in Bengaluru. Citizens could submit their responses either through the bus or online. Speaking at the launch of the budget report, BBMP Commissioner Tushar Giri Nath said, “This citizen budget is according to the response. We have many more areas to consider. We are using this budget as a road map. This is like our sample and based on this, we can see which areas we must focus on.” The BBMP will release its budget on February 15, six weeks earlier than it is normally presented.