A file photo of Kempegowda Bus Stand in Majestic.

The city’s Kempegowda Bus Stand in Majestic will be redeveloped under the Project Majestic scheme under the public-private partnership (PPP) model, announced Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday, adding that it will be a transport hub consisting of a commercial complex.

Under the PPP model, a satellite bus stand will be set up in K.R. Puram in Bengaluru East Zone.

These were the few major announcements for the city’s transport sector, alongside the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) getting 9,000 electric buses of 14,750 which will be inducted into the fleet this financial year.

While this will increase the fleet size, experts pointed out that the State has shown a lot of dependence on Union schemes. “As someone who expected to see reforms in financial devolution to cities and major investments into public transport after fare hikes, I was disappointed with the budget today. To meet the demands of a city with 15 million residents, we need thousands of buses, and soon. While the budget announced new buses, they seem to be dependent on Union Government schemes. Giving loan guarantee is not exactly institutional funding of the transport corporation which is a lifeline for the city,” said Srinivas Alavilli, civic activist.

Mr. Siddaramaiah also announced the government’s plan to add 98.60 kilometres to the existing metro lines along 79.65 kilometres (68 stations) in the next two years. With this, there are plans to extend the metro network up to Devanahalli.

However, citizens were disappointed that the fare hike did not find a mention. “We expected that the Chief Minister would talk about the fare hike, and it is unfortunate that it was not brought up. They have announced an extension of length, but what’s the purpose of it if people are hesitant to take it due to the fare hike?” asked Rajesh Bhat of Bangalore Metro Commuters’ Association.

Railway network

The government has made an allocation of ₹600 crore to develop nine railway lines across the State that the State government has taken up on a 50:50 basis with Indian Railways. . The government will also provide ₹406 crore for the doubling of 70 kilometres of railway lines Baiyappanahalli-Hosur and Yeshwantapura-Channasandra routes at a cost of ₹812 crore. The Railway over and under bridges which were already approved to replace level-crossing gates also got an allocation of ₹50 crore in the budget. 

The government will also call for tender for two of the four suburban rail corridors to complete the project in a time-bound manner.