The Karnataka government has ambitious plans for Bengaluru as it seeks to maintain the city’s dynamism while addressing key infrastructure challenges.
During a fireside chat with Shradha Sharma, Founder and CEO, YourStory and The Bharat Project, Karnataka Minister for Greater Bengaluru Development, Krishna Byre Gowda, said, “Bengaluru continues to be the centre for dynamism that nurtures talent and is able to be the home for a lot of people who contribute productively to their own lives, economy and to the services of the country as well as the larger global space.”
The State government plans to create technology spaces, mixed usage locations that will attract knowledge professionals and also investments.
According to the minister, the Greater Bengaluru Authority covers a geographical area of about 750 square kilometers, while Bengaluru's existing urban space already occupies about 1,200 square kilometers. “We are already planning the 2,000 square kilometer space around Bengaluru,” the minister remarked.
Bengaluru’s economic significance is reflected in several indicators. The city accounts for 36% of the new office space created in the country, hosts 40% of India’s global capability centres (GCCs), and contributes around 40-45% of the country’s $300 billion in exports.
Despite the city’s breakneck pace of growth, Gowda highlighted the role of its social ecosystem in sustaining its dynamism.
The minister said the state government plans to expand Bengaluru’s metro rail network from the current 96 kilometres to 170 kilometres over the next 18 months.
“By 2037, Bengaluru will be 500 years old and hopefully by then we can have at least 400 kilometres of metro,” he said.
Besides the metro rail, the State government is also planning to expand the suburban railway network and expand the city's bus fleet. “We do have at least a 10-15 year plan. We are working to crystallize it and put it in place so that it just doesn't remain as a plan on the paper,” the minister said.
The minister acknowledged that Bengaluru faces significant challenges across transport, roads, and civic cleanliness. He noted that these issues should have been addressed at least 25 years ago.
“Hopefully, in the next six months, we can show demonstrable results in making Bengaluru relatively a cleaner city,” the minister said.
Gowda acknowledged the government’s shortcomings and said it was keen to address them. However, he also stressed the need for citizens to change their behaviour, particularly when it comes to waste disposal, to bring about meaningful improvements in the city.
“We understand the sentiment of the people. We acknowledge it. We have a job to do and are taking our job seriously,” the minister said.