No new project proposals; No funding for roads, potholes, drains; No recognition of the demands of the common people
‘Massive budget’ of loans and guarantees
Kere Manjunath ಕೆರೆ manjunath
Bengaluru: BBMP’s budget for 2025-26, which has the distinction of being the ‘Massive budget’ in the history of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, is limited to the projects of the previous year. It has relied solely on government grants, guarantees, and loans, and has managed to allocate funds for the huge projects announced for two years.
The shadow of the ‘Brand Bengaluru’ concept has continued in this budget as well, and an attempt has been made to allocate this money for projects under eight categories under it. People had high hopes for the BBMP budget, which received the highest funding from the state government. They were hoping for projects that would provide pothole-free roads, silt-free drains, waste-free areas, and traffic congestion-free traffic. However, the budget did not pay any attention to these.
65% of the total budget amount has been allocated for public works including tunnel road, double decker, elevated corridor, new road, white topping. Most of this amount has been given to major works, while ward roads and drains have been ignored.
Waste management has been implemented without any hesitation to collect user fees from property tax, which is a burden on the citizens. ₹1,400 crore is being spent on solid waste management, and all its works are again revolving around the ‘integrated waste management’ project. The old statement of solid waste management in 100 acres in four directions has continued in this budget as well, and money has been allocated in the budget for old projects for collection of traditional waste, construction waste, and garbage.
It was said in the last two budgets that the city would be greened and millions of saplings would be planted. The same thing has continued in this budget as well. But only greenery is not seen in the city. Healthy Bengaluru projects have remained in the budget for two years, and this year too, it has been said that the same thing will be proposed and upgraded. Hospitals suffering from shortage of staff have not been treated.
Bommanahalli zone has shown more interest in the development of parks and lakes. It has been said that the lakes will be revived, and funds will be provided for the developed lakes. No time has been set for the implementation of rainwater harvesting systems in public places and municipal buildings.
A bold step has been taken to use technology and artificial intelligence, and the plan to save crores of rupees by developing applications by the municipal corporation itself instead of outsourcing is good. The road pothole app is already lying around, and it is a good development that it is planned to treat it and make it ‘BBMP-One-App’ and bring it on a single platform to solve the problems.
The grand budget has shown how the grants, guarantees and World Bank-aided loans provided by the government will be channeled to huge projects. Thousands of crores are transferred to SPVs to manage loans, public-private partnerships, build-operate-transfer projects. Overall, like putting a new label on an old product and selling it, old projects have been given shape in the budget and money has been given for the expenses.
BBMP presents budget; Implementation of mega projects through SPV
₹73,000 crore project for SPV
Bengaluru: BBMP, which has received an additional grant of ₹4,000 crore from the state government, intends to implement mega projects worth ₹73,600 crore through a special purpose vehicle (SPV) in the next five years.
This is the first time in BBMP's history that such a large amount of projects are being undertaken, the 2025-26 budget presented on Saturday said. The SPV has been entrusted with the formulation, implementation, external financing and preparation of bid documents for these complex projects.
The budget, approved by BBMP Administrative Officer S.R. Umashankar, was presented by Special Commissioner of Finance K. Harish Kumar at the Town Hall on Saturday.
The ‘Brand Bengaluru – Smooth Bengaluru’ concept has prepared a ‘Comprehensive Traffic Management Plan’ to provide a sustainable solution to traffic congestion, and the budget has said that major infrastructure projects will be undertaken for it.
It is proposed to implement mega projects over a period of five years with the formulation, implementation, external financing and expertise of complex projects at a cost of ₹73,600 crore. For this, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) comprising urban planners, expert engineers and administrators will be formed. The income from premium FAR fees and advertisement fees will be transferred to the SPV, which will be responsible for the implementation of tunnel roads, elevated corridors, double deckers, roads adjacent to Rajakaluve, white topping, sky towers (skydecks), and road expansion projects. ₹42 thousand crore has been allocated for two tunnel roads. With a tunnel road to be implemented in 2025-26, the SPV will handle projects worth a total of ₹31,600 crore.
With the aim of providing more funding for solid waste management projects, it has been decided to collect waste management user charges from property tax itself from April 1.
Projects handled by the SPV
- ₹17,780 crore; Tunnel road from Hebbal to Hosur Road-Silk Board
- ₹13,200 crore; High density/elevated corridors in the outer and inner rings, flyover
- ₹9,000 crore; 40 km double decker on our metro route
- ₹3,000 crore; 300 km road on the side of Rajakaluve
- ₹6,000 crore; White topping on major roads
BBMP Budget 2025–26
₹19,930.64 crore; Total receipt
₹19,927.08 crore; Total expenditure
₹3.56 crore; Savings
How much is the waste management user fee for whom?
Building area; Fee (monthly)
Up to 600 sq ft;₹10
600 sq ft to 1000 sq ft;₹50
1000 sq ft to 2000 sq ft;₹100
2000 sq ft to 3000 sq ft;₹150
3000 sq ft to 4000 sq ft;₹200
More than 4000 sq ft;₹400
Projects worth ₹73,000 crore under SPV scope
A ‘Comprehensive Traffic Management Plan’ has been prepared to provide a sustainable solution to traffic congestion under the concept of ‘Brand Bengaluru – Smooth Traffic Bengaluru’, for which it has been stated in the budget that major infrastructure projects will be undertaken.
It is proposed to implement mega projects over a period of five years in the formulation, implementation, external financing and expertise of complex projects at a cost of ₹73,600 crore. For this, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) comprising urban planners, expert engineers and administrators will be formed. The income from premium FAR fees and advertisement fees will be transferred to the SPV, which will be entrusted with the responsibility of implementing tunnel roads, elevated corridors, double deckers, roads adjacent to Rajakaluve, and white-topping projects.
Projects managed by the SPV
₹17,780 crore; Hebbal to Hosur Road – Silk Board Tunnel
₹13,200 crore; High density/ elevated corridor in outer and inner rings, flyover
₹9,000 crore; 40 km double decker on our metro route
₹3,000 crore; 300 km road on the side of Rajakaluve
₹6,000 crore; White topping on major roads
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Works under Sugama Bengaluru Project
*₹1,700 crore grant (Government – BBMP) White topping of 157 km long roads
*694 crore; Expansion and modernization of 118 km roads as per revised Master Plan-2015
*1000 km; Construction of footpaths while developing main, sub-main and roads under the ‘pedestrian first’ principle
* ₹440 crore; Silk Board for Fortune-500 reputed IT-BT companies – 22.7 km road development with globalization standards from K.R.Pura – Lauri Junction to Baiyappanahalli Metro Station
₹₹675 crore; ₹2.50 crore per ward for development of 225 wards in the city and ₹50 lakh each for maintenance works
*It is proposed to widen the roads from R.T. Nagar Police Station to Ambedkar College, Lingarajpura flyover to Pulakeshinagar Shyampur main road, Kenchanahalli main road in Yeshwantpur and Mahadevapura roads using TDR. Construction of railway underbridge near Kengeri Sub-city, Ramohalli Gate.
₹1,400 crore for waste management
Under the ‘Swachh Bengaluru’ action plan to clean the city, a waste disposal project of about 100 acres in each package in four directions of the city for the next 30 years will be implemented this year, the budget said.
For the processing of construction waste (debris), four packages for collection, transportation and processing of 750 tonnes of debris per day will be implemented from this year itself in private and public partnership, and debris will be collected from the sites and buildings themselves. Waste transfer stations will be set up in all 27 assembly constituencies under the 15th Finance Commission, Swachh Bharat Nagar 2.0 grant.
Bio CNG with a capacity of 50 tonnes per day, four biomethanization units, animal waste processing unit, and household hazardous sanitary waste decentralization units will be implemented this year. A 300 tonne capacity Bio CNG unit will be started in collaboration with GAIL.
* ₹187 crore; 39.07 lakhs for traditional waste management under Swachh Bharat Nagar 2.0 grant
* ₹104 crore; 1226 tonnes of dry waste treatment unit under Swachh Bharat Nagar 2.0 grant
* 474.89 crore; Liquid waste treatment at Bellahalli, Mittaganahalli, Bagalur, Baiyappanahalli and Kannur landfills
* 40 crore; 1500 km. Use of advanced mechanical sweeping machines for cleaning long main and sub-main roads
Plan for increasing forest area in the city
Under the concept of ‘Green Bengaluru’, it is proposed to increase forest area, greening of areas, integrated management of trees, wildlife conservation, and forest activities in the city as a responsibility to preserve and protect the biodiversity ecosystem and pass it on to the next generation.
₹2 crore has been allocated for ‘Energy Audit’ of public buildings to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from buildings. The budget states that the establishment of a wildlife rehabilitation unit at the Bannerghatta Biological Park, 2 to 6 months internship in environmental activities for young graduates who love the environment, a forest manual for scientific greening of tree groups and scientific management, and the much-awaited tree census will be completed this year.
* ₹51.69 crore; Special campaign to plant 5 lakh saplings launched
* 20 acres; Well-equipped park with public facilities on government land near Singapore Lake
* 125; Water storage tank and composting unit in parks
* ₹28 crore; Implementation of climate action and resilience plan in one ward of each assembly constituency
₹92 crore; Development work in parks and grounds to increase green space, recreational facilities
* 118 crore; Maintenance of 1,280 parks
₹413 crore for a healthy Bengaluru
Under the ‘Healthy Bengaluru’ campaign, a total of 852 beds in 19 hospitals will be increased to 1,122 beds at a cost of ₹413 crore in the next two years. Over 60 tests will be done free of cost. The budget proposes to provide dental services at 26 new centres.
26 BLS ambulances for emergency care in case of cardiac arrest and other emergencies; 144 electric vehicles for the programme to boost immunity of children of vagrants and slum dwellers, seven physiotherapy facilities for disabled children, 54 artificial intelligence-based refractometers for screening school children will be provided.
Additional work will be done at Royapuram Maternity Hospital, Sagaypur, Kushalnagar Hospital and 50-bed hospitals in Singapore Village and crematoriums will be constructed at Kumbalagoda and Tavarekere.
₹633 crore; M.C. Layout Multi-Specialty Hospital proposed to the government as a medical college
₹12 crore; Grant for construction and maintenance of slaughterhouse
Shelter for dogs, crematorium
Shelter centers for dogs suffering from serious diseases and accidents and crematoriums for animals will be established in three zones. An observation center will be established in Yelahanka zone for dogs that have made it a habit to bite repeatedly. Veterinary clinics in six zones at a cost of ₹7.5 crore, two ABC centers in Bommanahalli and Mahadevapura zones, microchips for stray dogs, food scheme for stray dogs, including a total of ₹60 crore has been allocated in the budget for the management of stray dogs in the year 2025-26.
₹183.69 crore for renovation of schools and colleges
₹183.69 crore has been provided to provide quality education to the children studying in the municipal schools and colleges. Emphasis has been given to opening new schools in five zones and renovating school buildings. Rainwater harvesting, installation of hand gardens and solar roof panels, and installation of sanitary napkin incinerators will be done by involving students in schools and colleges.
* ₹2,000; Salary hike of teachers of the municipal educational institutions
* ₹23.34 crore; Maintenance of municipal school buildings
* ₹30 crore; Playground development
* ₹120.35 crore; Educational programs
₹210 crore for lake maintenance; ₹2 thousand crore for Rajakaluve
₹210 crore has been allocated for the maintenance and development works of lakes under the concept of ‘Water Safety Bengaluru’. It has been informed that all the tube wells and clean drinking water units under the jurisdiction of the corporation will be handed over to the Bangalore Water Supply and Drainage Board for studying birds in all the lakes, setting up rainwater harvesting systems in the corporation buildings and public places.
To reduce weather extremes and create a sustainable environment in the city, the Karnataka Government and BBMP, with financial assistance from the World Bank, under the Karnataka Water Security and Resilience Programme, intend to construct a 174 km long barrier wall for the Rajkaluve with a grant of ₹2,000 crore in the next three years. ₹500 crore is expected from the World Bank this year.
*₹247.25 crore; Permanent relief from the National Disaster Relief Fund in the flood-affected areas of the city
‘BBMP-One-App’ for solving civic problems
Under the ‘Tech Bangalore’ concept, it has been decided to use artificial intelligence technology to save time and resources required for providing corporation services and provide faster services to citizens. ₹40 crore has been allocated for integrating mobile applications for citizen services under ‘BBMP-One-App’.
Citizen-friendly apps will be developed for building plan approval, business licenses, telecom towers, clean-city-waste-management, electric crematorium, lake management, property management. Safe City Camera, information from cameras in corporations, artificial intelligence-based technology will be used to detect deteriorated roads, rainwater stagnation, waste problems, unauthorized advertisements, footpath encroachment, illegal buildings, etc. and take urgent action to resolve the problems of citizens.
₹50 crore for Sky Deck
Under the ‘Romanchaka Bengaluru’ concept, ₹50 crore has been allocated for installing decorative lighting to beautify and attract the city, ₹25 crore for junction improvement and beautification of public spaces, and ₹50 crore for the construction of Sky Tower (Sky-deck), and these works are in progress.
In coordination with the Sports Department, it is proposed to provide funding for a project to create a multi-purpose sports facility in Jakkur and to organize a year-round ‘Bengaluru Habba’ in parks to strengthen community ties.
Using LED technology everywhere in the city, energy costs will be reduced from ₹300 crore to ₹200 crore. It has been informed that the ₹100 crore saved will be used for the Vibrant Bengaluru project.
₹100 crore; Grant to Kempegowda Development Authority for Magadi Fort development
₹1360 crore for ‘Brand Bangalore’
Under the concept of ‘Brand Bangalore’, a total of ₹2,8280 crore worth of major projects have been undertaken for a period of three years in 2024-25. A separate escrow account has been opened to implement these projects, and ₹660.00 crore has already been transferred in 2024-25. A grant of ₹700.00 crore has been provided in the budget for 2025-26, and this amount will also be transferred to the escrow account. Overall, steps will be taken to pay a total of ₹1,360.00 crore in 2025-26. The budget states that the remaining amount will be provided in the next year and the works will be completed.