The Global Investors’ Meet, set for Feb. 3-5, is being held after a gap of four years, a time in which Bengaluru hit ‘breaking point’ in infrastructure and real estate, exposing its many shortcomings. At GIM 2016, the state government is hoping to retrieve the city’s lost sheen by proposing projects that could put the bang back in Bengaluru — piped gas, business parks, criss-crossing elevated road corridors, even a Bangalore Eye and Disney-style parks. Will investors bite the bullet?
Gas distribution project
City Gas Distribution (CGD) networks cater to the requirement of piped gas for homes, CNG for vehicles and fuel for commercial/industrial needs within Bengaluru. The components of project are laying, building, operating or expanding the CGD networks to meet requirement of natural gas in domestic, commercial and industrial segments including Compressed Natural Gas for the vehicular segment. This project is largely aimed at reducing pollution as natural gas is environment friendly and also works cheaper. The initial cost of project is estimated to be around Rs 1,200 crore.
Devanahalli Business Park
The project entails development of 408 acres site adjoining the northern boundary of the Kempegowda International Airport, as an international destination. In this area, an international convention centre has been taken up for development in an area of 35 acres. Further development of the park is on the cards.
Bangalore Eye
One of the identified projects is the Bangalore Eye similar to the London Eye which is also known as Millennium Wheel located on the South banks of river Thames in London. Given the vast potential for tourist footfalls, the government intends to develop Bangalore Eye in and intends to implement the same on a Public Private Partnership (PPP) framework. It will identify an area of two acres and provide it to the developer.
The Karnataka Tourism Policy 2015–2020 encourages developing various small, medium and large entertainment parks as part of mega projects and entertainment products to cater to different segments of tourists. Development of Bangalore Eye aims at designing and constructing the giant wheel, various entertainment kiosks or joy rides could also be integrated to develop an attractive entertainment park with landmark characteristics.
Multi-level car parking lots
As part of this project multi-level car parking lots (MLCP) will be built at five places under PPP model. These MLCP can be either manual parking lots or automated parking lots. The parking has to be provided both for cars and two-wheelers. These MLCPs will be paid parking. The concessionaire will also be permitted to display commercial advertisements rights in order to recover capital and maintenance cost.
Light Rail Transit System
The Light Rail Transit System would have two corridors: J.P. Nagar to Hebbal on Outer Ring Road (31.3 km) and Toll Gate to Peripheral Ring Road on Magadi road (10.6 km). The project will be implemented under public private partnership (PPP) model. This mass rapid transport system will complement and supplement the existing bus transport system in addition to enhancing the connectivity of Metro phase 1 and phase 2. The system would also reduce the use of personal vehicles, thereby reducing pollution. The estimated cost of project is around Rs 10,875 crore.
Parking Management System
According to the parking policy, it is intended to implement Parking Management System (PMS) in 56 identified roads of Central Business District, including M.G. Road, Commercial Street, Kasturba Road, Queens Road, K.G. Road and Lalbagh Road.
The PMS includes service components like parking meter to facilitate payments through smart cards, CCTV, sensor based technology to detect & monitor the parking bays & check violations and VMS boards to disseminate information on parking space availability to public in large. The estimated cost of each such centre is Rs 55 crore.
Elevated corridors
- From Central Silk Board to Hebbal: The project seeks to develop the north-south corridor connecting Central Silk Board to Hebbal. This elevated corridor is an important project to ease the traffic movement in the city.
- From K.R. Puram to Gorguntepalya: The project is development of east-west corridor -1 connecting K.R.Puram to Gorguntepalya. (i.e., NH-4 towards Old Madras Road and NH-4 Bangalore – Pune road).
- From Jnanabharathi to Varthur Kodi: This corridor would connect Jnanabharathi with Varthur Kodi.
- From Agara to Kalasipalya: This elevator corridor project would connect corridor-1; connect North-South corridor and East–West corridor-2 from Agara to Kalasipalya.
- From Richmond Road to Ulsoor: The project envisages to connect East-West corridor-1 with East–West corridor-2, from Richmond Road to Ulsoor.
- From Kalyan Nagar Junction at Outer Ring Road to St. Johns Church Road and Wheelers Road Junction: This project will connect Corridor-3; connecting corridor from Kalyan Nagar junction at Outer Ring Road to St. Johns Church Road and Wheelers Road Junction
other projects
Some of other projects are: Construction of modern and technology public toilets across the city; construction of skywalks; redevelopment of several existing markets; redevelopment of commercial complex at Indiranagar, R.T. Nagar and Vijayanagar.
The GIM will also project development of TTMCs at Hebbal, Jayanagar IV T Block, Yelahanka, Kathriguppe Electronic City and Chikkabettahalli (MS Palya) on PPP model.
