Gathering pace

Here is an interesting article from Frontline that gives an overview of developmental situation in Bangalore.

It talks about future plans for many organisations like BMTC.

Some excerpts.

Acknowledging the gigantic task ahead, BBMP Commissioner Dr. S. Subramanya said that since the Palike was an important stakeholder in the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), it was leveraging the Mission’s funds for infrastructure projects under the 2006-12 City Development Plan. “We have made a substantial allocation in the Budget, to the extent of Rs.1,060 crore under the JNNURM.”

According to Subramanya, the biggest stumbling blocks to providing an orderly administration, efficient infrastructure and proper delivery of public service were collusion between employees and a lack of transparency. “I admit that my system is a huge contributor for the rot. Transparency is the key. The collusion can be broken by transparency. Huge reforms are needed in urban administration.”

The BBMP is setting up new units called the BBMP Contact Points to address problems in time and reduce red tape at the ward offices. Explains Subramanya: “Every group of 4,000 buildings will be monitored by a small BBMP office staffed by five functionaries, including the revenue officer. Our 17,000 employees will be employed for this. Any issue pertaining to those 4,000 buildings, including matters like issuing of khats, the roads in the area, will be under the jurisdiction of the respective contact point. The enforcement officer will go around his area and capture on video the day’s activities. This will ensure that we have a permanent repository of what happened where and when. The idea is to make ourselves visible, the BBMP presence must be there. We are also setting up a call centre that will have six lines and will be manned by a person 24x7, and complaints have to be attended within two hours.” A total of 368 such centres will be set up.

With traffic congestions causing losses running into crores of rupees, the BMTC hopes to have its entire fleet tracked on line, allowing depot mangers to synergise operations; 1,200 buses are already being tracked on line.

Among the projects that the BWSSB has in the pipeline are the Rs.3,443-crore, 500-MLD water supply scheme for Bangalore, funded by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, under the Cauvery Water Supply Scheme-Phase II, which is scheduled to be completed by 2011-12; the JNNURM- and World Bank-assisted Karnataka Municipal Reforms Project (completion by 2011) to supply water to eight urban bodies and provide water and sanitation to 110 urbanised villages that have been recently added to Bangalore city (Rs.1,400 crore); and the Rs.700 crore proposal for the rehabilitation of water supply distribution systems in the core area of Bangalore.

According to BDA Commissioner M.K. Shankaralinge Gowda, plans are afoot to form six new layouts in the north, east and west of Bangalore: “The layouts will allow the BDA to distribute around 50,000 sites. And most importantly, these layouts are as per the master plan (Comprehensive Development Plan) for Bangalore. The idea is to disperse the population, and also the investment that is coming to the City."