Shivakumar seeks Sitharaman's interventions for three key projects in K'taka

NEW DELHI: Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka DK Shivakumar met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday here in the national capital and discussed various development matters related to the southern state.

During the meeting, the Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister submitted a letter, requesting Centre's intervention and adequate funds, among others, for three key projects - a road tunnel project in Bengaluru for traffic decongestion, metro rail network expansion, and a flood mitigation project.

Bengaluru, the capital city of Karnataka and one of the most important cities in India, is known for housing various manufacturing and service sector giants. Besides, it is also a hub of start-ups. It is also emerging as a favoured destination for pharma, manufacturing and engineering, educational institutions, and Industry 4.0 The city is home to more than 12 million people.

To ease the traffic congestion in Bengaluru, the Karnataka government proposed to construct a 60 km urban tunnel, which will create an East-West and a North-South corridor within the city, connecting the major arterial roads and bypassing the surface traffic.

DK Shivakumar, in the letter to the finance minister Sitharaman, said the approximate cost of this project would be Rs 30,000 crore (Rs 500 crore per km).

"This project has several advantages over integrated flyovers, which are often opposed due to their gigantic structure, need for tree/green cover removal, traffic diversion hurdles, and land acquisition issues. The urban tunnel will be underground, saving the surface space and aesthetics, reducing the noise and air pollution, and minimizing the disruption and displacement," DK Shivakumar's letter read.

"Since the planned project will connect NH7 with NH4, it can be taken up by the Government of Karnataka in collaboration with the NHAI and requisite funds may kindly be allocated to both Government of Karnataka and NHAI from the central budget."

Further, the Karnataka government has identified five metro rail corridors as extensions to the existing metro lines, covering a length of 129 km. These corridors are intended to connect the peripheral areas and the satellite towns of Bengaluru and cater to the increasing demand for public transport. Shivakumar requested Sitharaman to avail approvals from the central government.

Further in his letter, Shivakumar wrote that his government prepared a proposal based on the best practices suggested by global experts to negative urban flooding. Every monsoon season, Bengaluru city experiences flash floods.

"The proposal for financial assistance for various interventions, amounting to Rs 3,000 crore was submitted to the World Bank. The proposal has reached the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) and is awaiting approval.

We request you to kindly expedite the approval process and facilitate the release of funds from the World Bank for this project, which will enhance the flood resilience and livability of Bengaluru," the letter read.