Union minister of Housing and Urban Affairs reviews urban mission progress in Bengaluru

BENGALURU: Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs and Power Manohar Lal reviewed the performance of several urban development missions in Bengaluru today, with important ministers and senior officials of the Karnataka govt.

The review meeting was also joined by Byrathi Suresh, Minister for Town Planning and Urban Development; Rahim Khan, Minister of Municipal Administration; B Z Zameer Ahmad Khan, Minister of Housing; K J George, Minister of Energy; and Tushar Giri, Additional Chief Secretary, as well as high-ranking state officials and officers from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

The Union minister was pleased with the progress of the current urban development schemes in Karnataka. The minister assured that the increased cost estimate for the Bangalore Metro Phase-2 project will be taken into consideration by the Central government as soon as it is officially cleared by the State Cabinet and submitted.

He also pointed out the remarkable development of the metro network of Bangalore during the meeting. At present, 75 km of metro routes are functional and 145 km are in the process of development. In a recent update, the Central government approved 45 km of Phase-3 expansion of the metro at a price of Rs 15,600 crore.

The Karnataka government has provided a fresh proposal for Phase-3A of the Bangalore Metro, adding 37 km of network at a cost of Rs 28,400 crore. The Union minister informed that the proposal is being reviewed by an expert agency and would be up for Central govt sanction upon receipt of responses from the state.

Focusing on environmental sustainability, the Union minister urged giving priority to the clearance of heritage waste and promoting reuse of treated wastewater.