The New Indian Express ·
Express Dialogues | Bengaluru needs all modes of mobility: Minister Krishna Byre Gowda
People will always aspire to own two-wheelers and cars, so asking them to stop buying vehicles is not a solution, says Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda. In a free-wheeling interview with The New Indian Express, he says the government must invest heavily in mass transit and argues that Bengaluru needs both mass transit and adequate road capacity, including tunnel roads.
He said it cannot be a choice between public transport and road infrastructure, and Bengaluru needs both mass transit and adequate road capacity to address its growing mobility needs.
It has been one year since Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) was established. What is your assessment of its performance so far?
The necessary structure to improve governance has been put in place. Managing a city of 1.5crore people through a single corporation was never going to work. Having five corporations, five commissioners, and eventually five elected bodies will make administration more accessible and responsive. The GBA also provides a coordination mechanism between the corporations and other civic agencies. I believe it is a great start, and with time, it will become even more effective.
Do you think the restructuring of Bengaluru’s administration is a step in the right direction?
Yes. We now have five corporations and the GBA, and for the first time in at least 40 years, there has been a serious rethink of Bengaluru’s administrative structure. Earlier, the city was governed under the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act without a separate administrative framework. Whatever its shortcomings, this is the first comprehensive attempt to restructure Bengaluru’s governance. Given the competing interests, I believe this is the best we could have done, and now we have to make it work.
Despite inspections and action against officials, why does there seem to be such apathy among officials?
It is the result of 25 years of apathy and poor governance. The city administration has weakened over time, with no serious course correction. Another major reason was the thoughtless expansion of corporation limits in 2006-07, when Bengaluru’s size was tripled without considering the administrative requirements. The expansion itself was not the problem; expanding without putting the necessary governance structure in place was. That decision became the catalyst for the dysfunctionality we see today, the last straw that broke the camel’s back.
Government, on the one hand, is actively working at the grassroots level, listening to people’s concerns and holding officials accountable. On the other hand, it is also a proponent of the tunnel road project, which citizens have unanimously opposed. How do you reconcile this?
Bengaluru’s problems, particularly traffic congestion, require practical and comprehensive solutions. Over the years, the number of vehicles has increased significantly, while congestion and travel time have continued to worsen. For instance, stretches such as Chalukya Circle to Esteem Mall, which could once have been covered much faster, now take considerably longer because of congestion at multiple points. People will continue to aspire for two-wheelers and cars, so simply asking them to stop buying vehicles is not a solution. At the same time, we must invest heavily in mass transit. It cannot be a choice between public transport and road infrastructure. Bengaluru needs both mass transit and adequate road capacity to address its growing mobility needs.
Do you think these solutions are being viewed as competing with each other rather than complementing each other?
I think that is a very narrow way of looking at the problem. Bengaluru is growing in every direction, and the demand for different forms of transport is increasing. The city continues to be a major economic hub, accounting for a significant share of India’s office space consumption and GCC investments. So it cannot be a zero-sum game where we choose between Metro, buses, suburban rail or roads.
We need all of them. Metro expansion is necessary, suburban rail is necessary, additional buses are necessary, but we also need greater road capacity. Bengaluru already has the second-longest Metro network in the country and the largest bus fleet, with nearly 7,000 buses, with another 5,000 buses being added. These efforts are often overlooked. We are open to criticism and suggestions, but it is important to look at the entire picture rather than approach the issue with a predetermined view that one solution alone will solve Bengaluru’s mobility problems.
You mentioned civic indiscipline as one of the major challenges. How difficult is it to change people’s behaviour and address issues like littering and improper garbage disposal?
Changing public behaviour is perhaps an even bigger challenge than dealing with officials. Garbage and littering are among Bengaluru’s biggest problems after traffic. If garbage is not collected from a citizen’s doorstep, that is entirely the administration’s responsibility. But when the collection system is available, and people still choose to dump waste on the roadside, changing that mindset becomes very difficult. People ask for a common neighbourhood dumpsite; now let me deconstruct this problem. If you put a common collection centre, where to put it, and how far is one willing to go to dump their waste, when they are reluctant to even use doorstep collection? If I have to set up a collection centre every 500 metres, imagine how many collection centres I must have in the city. If you want three to four different options of garbage collection, can a city afford so many different layers for just collecting garbage? All for what? Your inability to provide your garbage at your doorstep? How much more convenient can I make it?
You spoke about the dangers of expansion without administering systemic changes. Likewise, should not the expansion of road infrastructure be preceded by enforcement of traffic laws on the existing infrastructure first?
No disagreement there, but every enforcement comes with backlash. Half the space on our current roads is being consumed by parked cars. Traffic is adversely affected because of this unlimited free parking. If we regulate parking, we can bring in better mobility: vehicular mobility and pedestrian mobility. The road is a public space; it belongs to everybody. And when we try to restore equity between vehicle owners and non-vehicle owners, there is again a backlash.
Which city in the world doesn’t have a parking policy? Which city with a population of above 20 lakh continues to have this complete free-for-all system? There is some expectation amongst a few sets of people that somehow they should have absolute freedom, and their privileges must continue. Somehow, those of us in policymaking have also kind of given that message. I don’t think that we currently have the luxury of sequencing our solutions. Wherever possible, we need to grow in parallel. Enforcement has to improve, yes, but at the same time, additional capacity building also has to happen.
During the footpath encroachment clearance, car owners appreciated law enforcement, but when it came to parking regulation, they were unhappy, mentioning that they pay property taxes, which are paid for their property and not the roads; roads belong to everybody, and the first charge on the road is micro mobility.
What do you have to say regarding the reckless growth happening in the city?
To halt violations of laws, the Supreme Court had ordered that electricity be cut off to those who do not have a plan approval; people and the media showcased opposition to this initiative. This was a British law; if the people are against it, they should stand for the liberalisation of the law. Instead, they break the law itself, which causes unauthorised growth.
A cloudburst in North Bengaluru floods the east part; in addition to it, illegal constructions on storm water drains are rampant. How do you solve this?
The majority of layouts in outer Bengaluru do not have rainwater outlets due to the lack of town planning. The water flows downward according to the contour of the land, and these lower-lying areas have no water outlets, which causes waterlogging, which is a micro problem; the macro problem is that the 260km of stormwater drain needs to be remodelled, where the missing links are fixed, and an investment of Rs 2,000crore has been made.
As Bengaluru Development Minister, you hold every wing under you accountable; the public perceives you are doing it all alone. Does this feel like a lonely crusade?
The idea I hold is that I have a job to do, and I must do my job, and I have to keep pushing to the best of my abilities. Some days there is some progress, and some days there is frustration, yet the next morning is a fresh start. Each of us has our own approach; my approach might be right or wrong, but that is how I know how to work. We have been able to make some improvements in my areas of work in the past; if we were able to do it in the past, hopefully we can do some things now too.
Property tax collection in Bengaluru doesn’t match the number of properties? Will any technology be introduced to improve revenue from property tax?
There are 35 lakh properties; only 25 lakh properties have khatas, with only 18 lakh property taxpayers. We are conducting a technology-cum-foot soldier method to assess the total properties in Bengaluru. We will try to map the properties and fetch data from electricity connections and other sources. Our workers will be sent to map properties, match the properties with the e-khatas to find out how many properties have e-khata and how many are paying the property taxes.
Bhoo Guarantee Scheme was estimated to collect Rs 10,000 crore in revenue, but it has generated only over Rs 300 crore. Why are people not availing B-Khata to A-Khata conversion despite the discount?
I haven’t spoken to the people about that, but I feel that people have developed an attitude of questioning the endowment towards laws. These properties are mostly illegal, and we have provided them a transition route from B-irregular status to A-regular and law-compliant status, and despite that, people refuse to come forward. Even though we have brought the regularisation charge down from 5% to 2%, only 75,000 people have applied.
While the GBA is taking strict action against footpath encroachments, similar action is not being taken against illegal constructions, particularly those involving influential builders. How does the GBA plan to address these concerns?
Around 80% of Bengaluru’s buildings are estimated to have some violations, making enforcement challenging. The government has taken a bold decision to implement the Supreme Court’s ruling and enforce planning norms. Most violations are by individual house owners who construct far beyond permissible limits, rather than large developers. Maladministration and corruption are major problems; officials may look the other way when bribed by individual property owners. However, enforcement would continue despite opposition.
Given Bengaluru’s dense and difficult-to-navigate areas, how realistic is your vision of building a model city, and how much can you achieve?
I am only highlighting the challenges and not suggesting that nothing could be done. The government would continue working to improve the city, acknowledging that progress may be difficult on some fronts. However, there is scope for improvement in almost every area. Where there is broader consensus, more can be achieved. The focus would be on identifying areas of agreement and making improvements wherever possible.
There is apprehension over the amendment to Section 19 of the BMLTA Act, particularly due to the absence of guidelines and uncertainty over when they will be implemented. What is your response?
The BMLTA Act would have to be implemented in its entirety, including framing rules and constituting committees. However, day-to-day decision-making cannot be halted in the interim, as delays could have a cascading impact on Bengaluru. The provision is only transitional until the required mechanisms are established. The guidelines framing could be fast-tracked, and the process would be expedited.
