Participants at the Save Bengaluru roundtable
Bengaluru: The govt’s plan to push the city’s infrastructure projects worth over Rs 1.5 lakh crore amounts to spending more than three times the state’s annual health and education budgets on projects that would primarily benefit private car users, CIVIC Bangalore trustee Kathyayini Chamaraj said Sunday. “Rs 1.5 lakh crore is more than the state’s health and education budgets combined. The annual budgets for health and education together do not even cross Rs 50,000 crore.
Speaking at a Save Bangalore Committee roundtable, she said the proposed tunnel road from Silk Board to Hebbal would benefit only a small section of the population. Citing studies, she said estimates suggested that fewer than one lakh cars would use the tunnel daily, raising questions over the viability of the project and the scale of the proposed investment. The govt is planning to spend three times that amount on infrastructure that will benefit private cars in Bengaluru, not even the whole of Karnataka,” she said. Due process also mandates BMLTA approval, but the BMLTA body itself has not been constituted,” she said. We must oppose it politically and demand the chief minister’s direct intervention,” she said. Referring to discussions with the Cubbon Park authorities over the Parks Preservation Act, Prasad said responsibility was subsequently shifted to the tourism department.
“Though the proposal has been temporarily withdrawn, it is bound to be reintroduced. Former Bangalore University geology professor TJ Renuka Prasad raised concerns over the geological and environmental risks of the proposed hard-rock tunnel, citing instances of landslides, structural failures and environmental damage associated with tunnel projects in similar terrains.
Objections have to be collated, recorded and placed before the cabinet.
“Section 4(1)(c) of the RTI Act requires the govt to publicise the facts and explain the rationale before taking up such projects.
Senior advocate Hemalatha Mahishi criticised the now-withdrawn plan that would allow construction on up to 5% of public park land, saying green spaces such as Cubbon Park and Lalbagh were already facing encroachments and losing space for walkers. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Bengaluru | Silver Rate in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru | Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Petrol Price in Bengaluru | Diesel Price in Bengaluru | CNG Price in Bengaluru | LPG Price in Bengaluru Stay updated with the latest Bengaluru news. She criticised the govt for bypassing institutional scrutiny, including the approval process under the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA), for such projects. He criticised the response of top officials to citizen campaigns, saying public signatures and objections could not be dismissed as insignificant. He called for greater public participation and collective action against policy decisions affecting the city’s green spaces and environment. Others present at the roundtable included Save Bangalore Committee convener G Shashikumar, Karnataka Medical Service Centre president Dr Sudha Kamath and Karnataka Electrical Consumers’ Association secretary V Gnanamurthy. Download the TOI App.