Rs 35 cr to white-top 1-km road? UDD baffled by BBMP proposal

The Urban Development Department (UDD) has rejected a BBMP proposal to white-top a small stretch of road in RR Nagar at a whopping Rs 35.50 crore.

The civic body that proposed to ‘develop’ the kilometre-long Laggere main road needed UDD’s approval as the project was funded by the state government under the Chief Minister’s Nava Nagarothana grants.

The BBMP’s proposal, dated August 9, 2022, had sought the state government’s approval for using the same grant for some other road. The government had originally set aside a grant of Rs 35.50 crore for developing roads inside Bangalore University (Jnanabharathi) campus. Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit, the BBMP took up asphalting work on the same stretch, using emergency grants.

In a recent communication to the BBMP, UDD’s under-secretary Lakshmi Sagar N K rejected the proposal, citing the directions of the government.

It is learnt that Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai decided to reject the proposal as it did not offer clarity on the scope of work and its requirement.

A BBMP official expressed surprise at the UDD’s rejection as the proposal was in line with the standard procedure. He also said development of the busy and narrow Laggere main road requires more than Rs 35.5 crore as the stretch needs to be widened by acquiring properties.