Govt. unveils 90-day plan to fix Bengaluru’s crumbling infrastructure

Bengaluru, often now criticised by its residents for deteriorating civic infrastructure, is finally seeing some urgency from the State government. On September 24, Karnataka’s Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh announced a comprehensive 90-day programme aimed at tackling potholes, clearing garbage, completing stalled projects, metro work and improving overall road infrastructure.

The plan also introduces the possibility of congestion pricing on the Outer Ring Road (ORR), one of the city’s busiest and most gridlocked corridors. The blueprint was shared during a high-level meeting at Vidhana Soudha, chaired by Ms. Rajneesh. The meeting was attended by senior officials from the Urban Development Department, the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), along with IT industrialists such as Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and Yulu Bike co-founder R.K. Misra.

Speaking after the meeting, Ms. Mazumdar-Shaw welcomed the government’s decision but underlined the importance of public cooperation. “We went over the 90-day strategy covering road works, waste disposal, and sewage management. While the administration has promised action, citizens also need to do their part. Over the next three months, we hope to see visible improvements such as potholes being repaired, asphalting and white-topping works completed, unfinished projects revived, progress on the ORR upgrade, and development across 12 key high-density corridors,” she said.

R.K. Misra, also a civic activist, said that October month will be dedicated to ensuring all major city roads being made motorable, including stretches that require fresh resurfacing. In November, the spotlight will shift to citizen engagement through the ‘My Street, My Responsibility’ campaign, designed to encourage proper waste segregation and reporting of violations. December will bring in corporate involvement, especially along ORR, which is used daily by nearly 25 lakh IT professionals.

Congestion pricing

Mr. Misra suggested measures like congestion pricing on ORR. “A possible model is that if a single-occupant car enters ORR, a fee could be deducted automatically via FASTag. Vehicles carrying two or more passengers would be exempted. This is about regulating demand as much as creating infrastructure. Cities like London and Singapore already do this, and Bengaluru, as a rapidly expanding urban hub, must think along similar lines,” he said.

To improve accountability in civic works, Mr. Misra also revealed that a new contract monitoring application would soon track projects from procurement to payment. “Contractors will not receive payments unless they submit progress updates. This focus on deadlines, quality, and transparency should deliver measurable results,” he said.

Expediting metro work

A senior government official who attended the meeting said discussions also centred on expediting work on the Outer Ring Road metro, known as the Blue Line of Namma Metro. This line, stretching from Central Silk Board to K.R. Puram, is expected to significantly reduce traffic on ORR once it becomes operational. “We examined the details of the Blue Line project and agreed to accelerate its completion. The line will decongest the traffic on this stretch and also help for thousands of commuters working along the ORR stretch,” the official said.

He further said that the meeting also touched upon stricter quality control for road projects and proposals to boost inter-campus connectivity within IT parks, which could ease daily commutes for employees.