Infrastructure woes: K'taka makes SOS call to pvt firms

BANGALORE CALLS FOR HELP: The govt has admitted it does not have money to solve infrastructure problems.

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Keywords: Karnataka , BS Yeddyurappa

Bangalore: Rs 36,000 crore is the estimated bill to fix Bangalore's crumbling infrastructure over the next five years and it’s proving to be far too expensive for the BJP government in the state.

“I have mentioned it in the budget. We don't have the money. So we have to encourage private partnership,” Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa said.

The Chief Minister has allotted only Rs 1,800 crore for Bangalore's infrastructure, Rs 3,000 crore for an outer ring road and Rs 700 crore for civic issues – a total of Rs 5,500 crore, which is Rs 30,500 crore short of the estimate.

But the state government seems confident that the private sector will be more than willing to share a slice of the development pie.

“We are consulting everyone and planning and discussing. A separate committee will be set up for this and I will be chairman of that committee. We will review every two months. So many people are coming forward to invest in Bangalore's development,” Yeddyurappa said.

But the Bengaluru International Airport – which was a private-public venture – has not set an encouraging example. The state government had kept its end of the bargain and so, its optimism of eager private partners in development projects may be misplaced.