So the much awaited state budget for 2013-14 by Congress government is out. It is still very early into budget announcements to make a real sense of each of these announcements.
Going by Deccan Herald's live blog, here is the list for Bangalore.
Source - Deccan Herald
Bangalore:
- Rs 2250 crores allocated for peripheral ring road.
- Arkavathy Layout sites to be allotted by March, 2014.
- Rs 600 crores BDA complex at RT Nagar.
- Rs 4150 crores JNNURM projects in Bangalore and Mysore.
- To develop International Convention Centre at Devanahalli.
- M G Road and Brigade roads to get wi-fi.
- Kempe Gowda layout to be formed by March, 2014 for 5000 allotees.
- Bangalore Suburban Rail Corporation to be set up soon.
- Indian Institute of Public Health to come up in Bangalore.
- All RTO offices in Bangalore to be computerised.
- Four more RTO offices in Bangalore.
- Rs 150 crore allotted for elevated road between Jayadeva Hospital and Silk Board.
- Rs 250 crores allotted for developing infrastructure in 110 villages that has been added to BBMP.
- 1.6 lakh saplings to be planted at a cost of Rs 20 crores.
- Sarjapur and Bannerghata roads to be widened at a cost of Rs 300 crores.
- Rs 500 crores earmarked for grade separators at important junctions.
Prajagale, there is a reason to celebrate. The much discussed topic of commuter rail service for Bengaluru, finally seems to have made into official announcement. Again, coming days we will find out what this really means in real sense.
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Prajavani news!
Source - Prajavani
Its good move by CM
Fnally CM is taking interest in this Suburban Rail / Commuter Rail. He should get the Railway Minister consent soon for this and make this reality soon.
Thanks Syed keeping awake at this time and following up on the Budget
BMRCL planting trees... saving lakes...
1.6 lakh saplings to be planted by BMRCL?
Why? nobody else is capable of even planting saplings? What tunnelling or train technology it needs> same with lakes why is BMRCL saving lakes now? Is this just to help it gain some brownie points for an infrastructure which is bleeding the city?
I feel BMRCL should make facilities for free bicycle parking which costs nothing instead of this circus projects which have nothing to do with its core competency. WHy doesnt BMRCL take on multimdal integration instead? build sidewalks, travelators & trolleys to nearest bus & train interchanges?
To divert attention and make more noise to public
These are all tactics followed in public domain to divert attention for their failure to start the services as per deadlines.
Why is BMRCL not talking of cost escalation due to sand strike, USD appreciaton to Rs 60/-. What impact on the project due to this fluctuations. Also energy cost has gone up, how will BMRCL manag their operating cost???
Their is hardly any integration planned at Yesanthpur station between METRO & Railway Station inspite of having now Railway Minister from Karnataka. Station work has almost stopped without completion???
more from DH..
"The project is expected to cost Rs 8,759 crore. A detailed project report for phase-I will be prepared," Siddaramaiah, who also hold the Finance portfolio, added.
more here
Only wish he cud have earmarked the 170 cr for phI!
Btw the metro news is more in line to damage control this..
Ask them where they will plant the trees, the response will be all new BDA layouts..which ideally BDA will be doing..
Can they complete the projects in time and cost?
Allocations to our city is most welcome. Qn is will the projects be completed in time and within the cost? It should not be like the CNR Rao circle underpass construction that has exceeded the deadline big time and cost overrun. I think there is one more reg the Metro. 10.5 km from Sampige Rd, Malleswaram to Peenya. Saw it on the tv. Not sure what that means.
More could have been done
Good that suburban rail figures in the present govt's budget, but I think further steps could have been taken since the complete study & data were already available to commence implementation as detailed on Rites report (with ph-1A) - they should have started pushing IR to work out modalities for the SPV.
Again, I really don't understand why all the sabre-rattling against metro.
BMRC financing saplings has been ongoing from the beginning. Their venture into lakes has been ordered by GoK, at least according to this deccan herald report, also this report from railnews. So, if someone has doubts, govt should be questioned as to why BMRC is being handed restoration of lakes.
Bicycle parking at metro stations must be encouraged - BMRC seems to have gone wrong here, or could it be that they are charging heavily because the bicycle company is a business venture? Even so, it deserves subsidies since it is an eco-friendly mode of transport that also saves road space.
Re. multimodal integration (the likes of building sidewalks, travelators & trolleys to nearest bus /train interchanges) - is BMRC mandated to do all this, as part of the SPV? Perhaps this is again a question for GoK rather than BMRC. If GoK orders them (like the lake restoration), perhaps they will do it.
BMRC being behind schedule has more to do with other agencies - for example, huge delays in release of GoI quantum of finances, SWR obstructing work, GoK not taking decisions with regard to statue, etc. Thus, failure to start services as per deadlines seems to have been beyond their control, as it has been in the case of a mere 11km metro in Mumbai being executed by Reliance.
Cost escalations (due to sand strike, USD appreciaton, etc) are normal in any country when huge infra projects are being executed, & especially so in India with religion /politics playing a much larger role than it does elsewhere. So, one agency cannot be blamed entirely - it's a chain that delays delivery of all services.
Can we be cock sure that suburban rail will cost just the 8000-odd crores? It might well cost double this or even more, but since it is a huge infrastructure project, it would be similarly subject to various ups & downs - no point bashing. In fact, SWR /IR work in much worse ways than BMRC for sure. If integration at Yesanthpur station is not happening, I think the probability is that SWR needs to be questioned more than metro. Even in the case of Byp, it was SWR/IR that delayed allocation of funds for integration with an overhead bridge.
So, appreciate we keep focus on suburban rail & resist the temptation to blame BMRC with frustration due to delays.
Namma Railu needs a god father?
If wishes were to come true........
Naveen,
Agree, more could have been done by GOK and we could go on with our wish list. Reality is, unlike BMRCL, Namma Railu, unfortunately doesn't have a 'GOD FATHER' yet to make that kind of progress. So far the progress is on snail speed. We may not like it, but this is a reality.
But even then the recent progress calls for celebration? From blogs to budget announcements. What say?
We can keep on bashing GOK, IR for step motherly treatment towards Karnataka, but would be more prudent to find that GOD FATHER and work with him ensure that BSRC see the light in coming months/years.
Also agree 100% with you, there is no point bashing BMRCL or for that matter anybody including GOK. BMRCL is a govt entity with lot of clout in GOK and is an important stakeholder in many of the GOKs decision on urban transport infrastructure. Though we have fair idea about BMRCL's support to CRS but if GOK is behind BSRC, BMRCL will take the back seat.
Namma Metro is here to stay and decisions have been made at the highest level for that kind of heavy investment, may be 5 times more than CRS calls for. Regardless of its merits/demerits, we are better of with advocating for complete integration at every stop of it. There are enough anti-Metro forces that hardly need any more.
Technically speaking, CRS is not a METRO competitor or vice-verso. Each one will find its own constituencies and users.
Let the BMTC, BMRCL and BSRC supplement each other.
TNIE quoting Pranav!
Source - The New Indian Express
"...Activists, who have been demanding a commuter rail, believe that this is a time for celebration. Although only Phase-I (A) has been approved, the setting up of an SPV will mean that the government is setting up a full fledged commuter rail system. This, according to Pranav Jha of Praja.in, an online group that has been actively demanding a commuter rail, is a positive step. “A sustainable model is where there are nearby cities is well connected to each othere,” he said..."
Many Godfathers needed!
Syed,
No doubt the mention of suburban rail in CM's budget & commissioning a DPR are positive signs from the govt machinery - wish the need for such a project for suburban Bangalore in addition to urban metro system was realized sooner. So, maybe we can toast to govt's long overdue recognition.
I agree there isn't a 'God Father' within govt to keep pushing or influencing it, unlike other states which seem to produce many godfathers - read the details for NCRTCL below. How did this come about with central participation so fast?
DULT is unsure how to go ahead - & may have done nothing if not for repeated prodding by Praja. DULT, being an urban transport body should ideally have advised CM about the existence of ph-1A that can roll out train services with minimal investment & efforts whilst pushing for the promised SPV. As of now, what we have is only a DPR still on the drafting board. I hope the SPV & the DPR take shape soon - before general elections are announced when election codes kick in, & if we have a hung parliament or BJP in power, nothing will move & we will be back to square one - hence, there are concerns since changes in political equations are likely.
More food for thought - Planning commision has been raising objections for rail & metro projects (Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar, Kochi, Mumbai elevated rail, loco factories, etc) & is monitoring railways, especially activities & investments that are not profitable. Whilst GoK is expected to entirely fund construction of suburban rail, Planning commission (& IR /railways ministry) would still be involved for O&M.
Also, agree with what you said abt BMRC - I dont think their clout extends to influencing suburban rail, its execution or progress. It just cannot be since these are taken at much higher govt levels. They may have been consulted by way of an urban transport body in the city which is nothing unusual, but they do not make or break decisions. Bashing them because progress on CRS has been slow is a waste of time. Public is already using existing suburban trains & ultimately their numbers is what matters. The pity is that there isn't anyone in govt to spearhead efforts already supported by the large number of users.
Re. integration, maybe the whole job of executing suburban rail is best given to BMRC itself - they should be given mandate to execute suburban rail also with responsibility for integration. I don't see how IR & BMRC will integrate their individual systems. All we have seen are spats between one another that have caused delays & inconveniences to public.
Source RailNews
TV9 is having Commuter Rail / Suburban Rail dicussion at 4PM
Finally TV channels are picking up the Commuter Rail / Suburban Rail for Bangalore and its beeing done in TV9 toady at 4PM.
Thanks to Muralidhar Rao making it for the dicussion