BBMP scrambles to complete projects

BANGALORE: With assembly elections rolling up in six months, the BBMP has realized it is time to pull up its socks and complete all the grandiose projects it had announced in the recent past.
Mayor D Venkatesh Murthy said on Saturday that projects worth Rs 1,663 crore, including development of roads, lakes, signal-free corridors, five grade separators and construction of multi-storied parking facilities will be taken up.BBMP plans to widen 11 roads, including seven in Mahadevapura zone, and two roads each in Bommanahalli and RR Nagar zones. Besides this, 80 roads will be improved, but not widened. However, despite its plan to widen 11 roads, BBMP has not equipped itself in managing the controversial Transferable Development Rights (TDR) issue.
"We haven't set up a TDR bank, as it was debated and rejected in the council. There is vacant land available on the outskirts, and acquiring it through TDR is our plan," said S Somashekar, BBMP chief engineer , major roads.
BBMP officials admit that the lack of a TDR bank will benefit middlemen and not those who have lost their land to road widening.
In another bid to appease the electorate, BBMP plans to spruce up each constituency. Said the mayor: "The state government will allot Rs 10 crore to each constituency for roads, drainage and streetlights across the city. This financial year being an election year, we will also be tabling the budget for the year 2013-14 by March 2013. I have sent letters to officials and standing committee members already."
Goel busy in another meet
BBMP chief Rajneesh Goel was not present at the press conference, as he was busy in another meeting. Goel told STOI he was busy in a meeting on solid waste management. "As per the high court directive, we have constituted an experts' committee on solid waste management, which meets every Saturday. I was attending that meeting, which is the sole reason behind my absence at the conference."