Connectivity to Bangalore will be improved in the coming years, with the government formally announcing the willingness to form Bangalore Suburban Rail Corporation, in the state budget, a few days after the proposal getting formal approval. This has cheered many groups who have been batting for the commuter railway for many years.

Other major announcement was the decision to separate ground water wing from the Mines and Geology Department and form a Ground Water Directorate. This looks important in the background of the Right to Water bill proposed to be tabled in the Parliament.

“We should not avail loans just because it is available; loan is a burden on future generation,” said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, reflecting the age-old wisdom of financial management. He was presenting the state budget for the eighth time.

Known for his financial acumen, the Chief Minister announced that the preference was on income generation, improving roads, housing for poor and completion pending projects. Housing for poor, rice at subsidised price for poor, emphasis on more milk production and distribution of milk at schools were among the first subjects the Chief Minister touched upon.

He also stressed on the need to complete the pending infrastructure projects fast, to stop the projected cost from escalating. Excise duty, stamp duty and vehicle tax will be the major sources of revenue generation, said Siddaramaiah.

He said the state did not need a separate Agriculture budget, as doing so in the past has achieved anything. However, he reserved 6149 crores for agriculture and allied activities, which is 13% of the total plan outlay.

Sources of income

Bangalore’s share in Budget – July 2013:

Roads/Transport

• An outlay of Rs.9,286 crore is provided to the Urban Development sector, out of which Bangalore gets 2200 crore

• Years in the pipelines, Commuter rail now formally approved. (For earlier saga, click here) Bangalore Suburban Rail Corporation would be formed. Detailed Project Report awaited.

• Construction of pedestrian sky-walks for the safety of pedestrians crossing the road will be taken up at a cost of Rs.100 crores

• Elevated road from Ejipura Junction to Sarjapura road via Sony World junction at Koramangala at a cost of 200 crore

• Elevated road from Jayadeva junction to Silk Board in integration with the phase-2 Metro alignment at a cost of 150 crore

• Widening of 2 important corridors – Bannerghatta Road and Sarjapura Road – as per RMP-2015 to be taken up at a cost of Rs.300 crore.

• Rs.500 crores will be provided for grade separators at important critical junctions including one near K.R Puram bridge

• Comprehensive development of 100 km of arterial and sub-arterial roads will be taken up at a cost of Rs.300 crores.

• Development of Peripheral Ring Road will be taken up at an estimated cost of Rs.2,250 crore with JICA loan assistance. Land Acquisition process will be speeded up to construct peripheral ring road

• To ease traffic congestion in BBMP area, DPRs will be prepared for construction of Satellite Town Ring Road (STRR)

• More DPRs for flyovers on Bangalore-Mysore Highway, within the respective town limits. (Ramnagar, Mandya, Chnpatna etc)

• Rs.100 crores will be provided for the construction of multilevel car parking.

• Transport Department proposed to be computerised totally and introduce online services, to ensure a paperless system

• RTOs in Bangalore will be brought into computer network. Public will be able to get the service from any RTO

• RTO Offices at Banashankari, Chamarajpet, R.T. Nagar and Marathalli proposed, along with the existing RTOs in Bangalore.

How the rupee will be spent

Water/Waste management

• Ground Water Division working under the Mines and Geology Department to make way for Ground Water Directorate. Functions of this are not known yet, but stricter implementation of rules expected on extraction of groundwater.

• The system of outsourcing Poura Karmikas will be abolished in stages and vacant posts of Poura Karmikas in BBMP will be filled up

• Waste segregation, management, production of power and fertiliser by composting to gain prominence

• BMRCL will undertake development of Kengeri and Veerasandra lakes in a scientific, exemplary model.

• 24X7 water facility for cities announced, but the list doesn’t feature Bangalore.

• Rs.100 crore for development of 44 lakes by removing the encroachments and stop the entry of sewage flow into the lakes

• 10 more STPs of latest technology will be established in next 3 years, to help treat additional 336 MLD of waste water.

• Challaghata valley, Hebbala valley, Koramangala valley and Vrushabhavathi valley to be remodelled at Rs.1000 Crore

• A Project to remodel and develop 4 major Storm water valleys covering about 857 kms within the BBMP limits

• Rs.100 crores will be provided for adopting modern technology in SWM like generating electricity, preparation of compost

• Water tariff to be rationalised and increased.

Overall distribution of funds on various plans

Infra/ housing

• Proposal to implement the project of City Cluster Development in BBMP area at a cost of Rs.2,100 crore.

• BDA Complexes of BDA at R.T. Nagar, Indiranagar and Austin town will be re-modelled at an estimated cost of Rs.600 crore

• Kempegowda Layout to be formed; applications to be invited for allotment of 5000 sites before March 2014. Tendering process for construction of vertical flats in PPP model to be taken up in Kempegowda layout

• Sites will be distributed to 8000 allottees by March 2014 in Arkavathi Layout which is pending from the past 10 years.

• Expert committee to be formed to protect interests of those who purchase site from Housing Cooperative societies

• 6,500 flats at affordable prices will be constructed and allotted by March 2014 by BDA

• 250 crores for developing infra/basic facilities in 110 villages newly added to BBMP

Education

• Education to be continued in regional language – Kannada, but English will be a subject from 1st standard

• Higher education academy to be established in Dharwad to ensure quality in higher education

• Government primary schools to get better infrastructure; NGOs, corporates and other interested will be involved in giving such schools a lease of life.

• Mobile IT Labs to create interest in IT and to enhance knowledge of school children, at a cost of 2 crore

• Scholarships/ assistance to students to be deposited online

• Proposal to establish SSLC and PUC Examination Management system to provide entire information of examination online

• Rs 2 for every day’s attendance for girl children enrolled to 1st standard

• Tele-education programme in schools, on pilot basis, in collaboration with IIM, Bangalore

• School maxicabs to cost less. Vehicle tax on School maxicabs to be reduced by 50%. With this, school cab managers who want to get rid of their vehicles aged more than 15 years will get some relief while buying new ones.

Women

• 10 more courts to investigate violence against women

• Manaswini scheme: Unmarried/ divorcee women aged 40+ to get 500 rupee pension per month: Siddaramaiah

• Stress on organic farming : Siddaramaiah

• Wastage of water to be reduced in Bangalore

Health

• Rs.10 crore will be provided to Shankara Cancer Hospital in Bangalore.

• e-Hospitals software to be installed at K.C.General Hospital, General Hospital Jayanagar & Sanjay Gandhi Institute

• Indian Institute of Public Health proposed to be established at Bangalore

• Super Specialty Hospital at Cantonment Hospital in Bangalore to provide High-tech treatment services at a cost of Rs.8 crores

Afforestation

• Emphasis on afforestation, conservation of forest and stopping encroachment of forest areas

• Rs.7 crore for a programme to prevent encroachment and conservation of Forest Lands in Bangalore and other urban areas.

• Planting of 1.60 lakhs tree saplings across the Bangalore city in 2013-14 at a cost of Rs.20 crore through BMRCL

Others

• A pilot scheme on MG Road and Brigade Road in Bangalore for providing Wi-Fi services to the public.

• Karnataka Geographical Information System costing Rs.160 crore to be developed with 50% grants from government of India

• Marriage registration compulsory for all, including mass marriage

• Excise duty proposed to be hiked between 16% and 40% in 17 slabs, for various type of liquors.

• A science gallery proposed in Bangalore in association with the science gallery international in Dublin, Ireland

• For research and creating commercial skills in DNA Synthesis & Nanotechnology in Biology, Transformation Centres to be set-up

• Bengaluru International Convention Centre with a seating capacity of 6000 near the BIAL; A Business Park too will be established

• Handicraft fair and Shandy will be conducted in #Bangalore on the lines of the Surajkund Fair of Haryana

• Tickets in AC cinema halls to cost more. Amount of tax-exempt service charges that the owners of cinema theatres can collect increased from Rs.1.50 to Rs.3 per head in air-conditioned and air-cooled theatres and Rs.1 to Rs.2 per head in respect of other theatres

• More incentives to milk producers, extra milk to be distributed to schools children

• ‘Ahara and Grahakara Bhavana’ will be constructed at Yashawantpur in Bangalore.

• Upgrading Gandhi Musuem at Gandhi Bhavan,Bangalore, implementation of e-Gandhi Programme

• International level ‘Kuvempu Kala Bhavan’ to be constructed in Bangalore in memory of Rashtrakavi K.V.Puttappa

• 8500 new police constables to be employed across the state

• Highway patrolling vehicles to be purchased at 4 crore

• All police department offices to get broadband facility

Financials

• 12,600 crore to be collected via excise duty

• Roads and transport to be allocated 5315 crore

• Health sector allocated 5421 crores

• Slippers priced upto Rs 300 to attract less tax

• Cess on diesel reduced from 16.75% to 15.65%, diesel to cost 51 paise less

• Agri loans between 2-3 lakhs to attract 1% interest. Below 2 lakh, it will be interest-free loan for agriculture.

• Loan waiver for people belonging to SC/ST

Addendum

The graphs in this article have been taken from Budget document from Finance Department.