Bengaluru to Get Independent Agency for Major Road Projects

The Karnataka government has proposed creating an exclusive agency to monitor large road infrastructure projects in Bengaluru, effectively minimising the role of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) in the city’s development.

The proposed agency may be called Bengaluru Smart Mobility Infrastructure Ltd (B.SMIL) and Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Ltd (B.SIL), a Deccan Herald report stated. It will facilitate large-scale development projects, including tunnel roads, elevated corridors and double-decker road-cum-metro projects by an independent body, roaming lakhs in the same way that metro rail, water supply and electricity projects are currently handled by autonomous agencies.

It is likely to be announced in the Budget:

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah may announce the setting up of this Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) during the state budget presentation on March 7. It is the latest in a series of such moves in recent years designed to better facilitate the execution of big projects.

Inspired by Mumbai’s MMRDA:

The agency will work on the lines of MMRDA (Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority), which handles all big infrastructure projects in Mumbai. With VGF no longer relevant, the company — the existing Bengaluru Smart City Ltd (BenSCL) will likely shape it up to reach the point where, with almost all projects planned, will be dissolved.

Projects Under the New Agency

Once established, the SPV will assume management over multiple high-impact projects, including:

• KR Puram to Nayandahalli road; two main tunnel roads (Hace the southbound main tunnel and Silk Board Main Vivarium).

• A double-decker road-cum-metro project was at a standstill in North Delhi.

• Sky decks for people movement

• 1,700 km roads: white-topped

• Raised to relieve traffic congestion

Implications for BBMP:

This decision may also reduce the power of the BBMP further, especially now that the state government is mulling the bifurcation of Bengaluru’s civic body to create smaller municipal corporations in the city for better governance. Key urban services like water (BWSSB), power delivery (Bescom), and urban planning (BDA) have slipped from the BBMP’s control, triggering fears of fragmented governance.

While an independent body will oversee major road projects going forward, there is scope for faster execution of infrastructure development in Bengaluru, but only if the coordination between multiple urban agencies can be managed.