BENGALURU- THE CITY OF MANY CHAOS

INTRODUCTION

The recent statement by Mr. DK Shivakumar,the Deputy Chief Minister of

Karnataka stating that “Even God can’t fix Bengaluru traffic Soon” not has not gone very well with the incurable optimist citizens of Bengaluru and has raised eyebrows of planners and administrators across the Country. This indicates that the State Government has given up the hope to mitigate the traffic chaos. Though the Minister started with great enthusiasm by unleashing Brand Bengaluru at the start of his tenure, his recent statement seems to have dampened the hopes of 15 Million Bengalureans. While making this statement, he pitched in his most controversial Tunnel project and said that once the Tunnel Road and Elevated flyovers are constructed, the Bengaluru traffic will be eased! One needs to check whether even this statement is validated! Traffic is not the only problem that Bengaluru is facing!

Bengaluru is experiencing huge Unauthorised developments, depletion of Ground water, Drinking Water Scarcity, Urban floods, Solid Waste management and climate change inducing incessant rains and heat islands. Despite all these serious problems, Bengaluru is destined to grow incessantly, due to its salubrious climate.

WILL THE TUNNEL ROAD SOLVE THE BENGALURU TRAFFIC CHAOS

However, many Planners, the citizens and the Engineers question whether such a costly Tunnel road project (First Phase cost- `12,690 Crores for 18 Kms) that was proposed abandoning a 99 Kms Elevated Corridor proposal is really needed) to alleviate the traffic congestion, is needed? Many question the very quality of Detailed Project Report (DPR), that is not shared for public. The Hydrology experts claim that the proposed Tunnel may cut across many aquifer zones and dykes that could further create imbalance in underground water supply. The Planners are of the opinion that the DPR is an Engineering report and there is noproper Traffic data simulation to validate the need for Tunnel road and none of the Master plans in the past had proposed the Tunnel Road. Many feel that the Entry-Exit proposed in this Tunnel road could further create Traffic Chaos due to ongoing amalgamation of lands and rise in redevelopment projects. Overall, Tunnel roads should be have been thought of only after analysing the Traffic data its impact after implementing the missing links to the existing Outer Ring Roads and NICE Peripheral Road, and also after analysing the traffic scenario after implementing the proposed pending Elevated roads, proposed projects like construction of northern Sector of Peripheral Road (HosurRoad junction- Devanahalli Road junction- Tumkur Road junction) and completion of all the phases of METRO across Bengaluru. The UD Ministry should have taken proper inputs from the Police Department, especially from Dr. MA Saleem who understood the pain points in Road network and managed the Bengaluru Traffic successfully for years! In the  ra of Mass Transit and Public Transportation, Tunnel roads for private vehicles, should be a last option for a sustainable Bengaluru!

REASONS FOR THE PRESENT CHAOS OF BENGALURU?

 It’s not fair to blame one Government for all the issues related to Bengalure. All the problems of Bengaluru has snow balled from the past four decades!  Karnataka was once a pioneerin Urban and Regional Planning in the entire country with  great administrators like Sri. Laxman Rau and planners like Prof. LR Vagale, Dr. KS Ramegowda and Sri. Galgali, who were leading the planning fratrnity!

None of the Master Plans in the past has Scientifically  ocumented the dynamics of Migration, without which its proposals lacked realistic vision for Bengaluru. Bengaluru is becoming like a “Dead Sea” with huge in-migration associated with very miniscule out-migration of population flow. 

FAILURE OF SATELLITE TOWNS AND REGIONAL IMBALANCE

 Sri. Lakshman Roa advised the Government in 1950’s that Bengaluru should have 5 Satellite towns, but sadly only Kengeri and  Yelahanka came into existence with little success to de-centralize Bengaluru in-time. The Successive Governments never worked on to create Regional Balance and hence, Bengaluru became the Megalopolis. Even, the Regional Planning Authority was abolished in 1990’s and the Town & Country Planning Department didn’t amend its KTCP Act-1961 to usher Regional Planning! Though the KTCP Act is one of the most powerful acts, the Town Planners were sidelined by successive  Governments consistently and Engineers were brought in their positions in Corporations and Development Authorities to manage the Town planning functions! 

MOTHER OF ALL PROBLEMS- ABSENCE OF MASTER PLAN

 The Master Plan-2005 of Bengaluru was prepared for Bengaluru’s development till 2015. There is not Master plan beyond 2015 to control the development in the erstwhile Green areas that has become  onurbation limit and to guide the   city future. Hence, Bengaluru is  witnessing a urban sprawl by leaps and bounds! There is no proper road  network planned in the erstwhile Green Belt, which has become conurbation area and that is adding to the woeof Bengaluru Traffic. 

GROWTH OF UNAUTHORIZED COLONIES AND SLUMS

 The Task force was created only for BBMP limits (800 Sq.Kms), which were supposed to control the formation of lums and Unauthorized Colonies were weak without proper watch and ward capacity. Poor housing policy, corruption, Red Tapism (delay in approvals) of the Government and the greed of the developers were the root cause of Unauthorised Colonies. Only recently a new Task Force was created for BMRDA Jurisdiction (8005 Sq.Kms). In the meantime, more than 8000 Acres of Unauthorized layouts and 500 plus slums cropped up in Bengaluru. These unauthorized developments dampened the efforts to integrate the road networks between different wardsand that also contributed to the Traffic Chaos! 

GROWTH OF IT SECTOR - LIKE SHEEPS FLOCKING TOGETHER

After 1990’s, Bengaluru has managed to accommodate 5 Million IT workforce working in 67,000 IT companies, 7000 Startups and 45 Unicorns generating almost

$45 Billion in Software exportsin 2024. Almost 24% of workforce are in retail sector and 10% in Apparel sector.

 While all the other sectors grew organically, the IT Sector grew exponentially and most importantly, they started locating themselves predominantly towards Bengaluru South , East and to some extent in North, like sheep’s flocking in the same direction. This lead to imbalance traffic concentration in Bangalore East and Bangalore North. Unfortunately, the Hydro-Geomorphology of Bengaluru depicts very low water availability in Bangalore East and North and high water level towards the South and South west

 Neither the Government nor the Developers advise the  IT industry’s to move towards south, where the Underground Water availability was more. Even, the IT industry’s didn’t do proper due-diligence properly to locate its industries and in the meantime, the commercial and retail ecosystem was well developed in these areas and every company fell for it!. Even the NammaMETRO concentration is more towards Bangalore South and only recently, the Bangalore East is serviced to some extent. Even in 2005, the IT industry raised concerns on Bangalore Traffic and now too it continues raising issues related to Traffic, Urban flood, Water Scarcity, etc.,

WATER SCARCITY IN BENGALURU

Since its inception in the year 1964, BWSSB has executed several water supply and sewage schemes for the city, including the Cauvery Water Supply Scheme (CWSS) Stages that is pumped against the gravity by 1500 feet to reach Bangalore to provide2215 MLD (18.7 TMC/ Year). In the meantime, Stage VI is also been though off. The average Per Capita Consumption is 108 Litre Per Capita per day in Bengalore. And this is only for BBMP limit (800 Sq.Km). Then what about the BMRDA Jurisdiction of 80005 Sq.Km that too is developing fast?

Almost 500 MLD of water is extracted from underground in Bengaluru. On an average Bengaluru rains for 65 days and due tore cent cyclones and climatic changes sometime, it rains for 75 days. However, there are no proper public water harveting structures to capture the rain water.

 Infact, the water supply from Cauvery rivertoo is dwindling due to climatic changes and  drought and the Cauvery water need to be supplied to the farmers within Karnataka and also to the Tamilnadu, Pondicherry and Kerala. The hippagondanahalli Reservoirand Hesaraghatta reservoir used to earlier supply 149 MLD and 36 MLD of water, but they have dried up due to massive landuse change that includes floriculture, around 3000 Acres of Unauthorised developments other development projects, though the Supreme court has banned developments in Thippagondanahalli Reservoir Catchment area that has almost 138 tanks in its upstream.

 CONCLUSION

 The Urban land in  Bengaluru is getting costlier day by day and people are constructing buildings to its fully prescribed Floor Area Ratio. The recent notifications to raise FAR, vide Premium FAR is too confusing and not well thought off. There are more than 5000 roads proposed in the Master Plan 2005, that   as been encroached upon and there are many missing links and proposed projects to be still implemented. People at helm of affairs speaks on Satellite towns from the past 4 decades, and not a single one has been implemented wholesomely. People speak on Citizen participation in Planning, but many times comes out with proposals that are not practical. For decades, the Bureaucrats and Ministers speak on creating Singapore on Bangalore, but doesn’t even create Little India of Singapore! The only way forward is to the creation of a 3D Digital Twin for integrated ward-level planning and monitoring on Buildings, Roads (Traffic), Storm water drain and scale it to the City Level. Overall, The Salubrious climate of Bengaluru is over-riding the traffic and all other chaos.

DISCLAIMER: 

The views expressed in the Article above are BV ANAND views and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it. Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing."

Courtesy: BV ANAND and  Spade A Spade-MARCH 2025