Bengaluru, 29 March

The BBMP budget for 2025-26, worth Rs. 19,927 crore, aimed at rebranding and giving the city a makeover may do little to address teething issues like flooding and traffic management, say citizens. Benglureans wary of grand plans, say it may be an exercise in vain if basic infrastructure—such as pothole repairs, illegal building demolitions, and storm water drain issues remain neglected.

Prof. Ashish Verma, Convenor of IISc Sustainable Transportation Lab, criticised the BBMP budget for misaligned priorities, stating, "The proposed projects, like tunnels and double-decker roads, will harm Bengaluru’s quality of life and sustainability. Despite contributing to the Brand Bengaluru report, none of its recommendations were included."

Sandeep Anirudhan, Convenor of Citizens' Agenda for Bengaluru, opined that funds were being wasted on vanity projects like the Skydeck and tunnels, while essential infrastructure was being neglected.

Raj Bhagat, a water conservation expert, acknowledged the Rs. 2000 crore allocation to enhance Bengaluru’s Climate Resilience in the BBMP budget, but said there was no clarity about project details and how the money would be spent . He said, "Its unclear how much will go towards crucial projects like stormwater drain construction and enhancement."

Raghavendra Poojari HS, Program Lead at B.PAC, said, "The 2025-26 BBMP Budget shows ambitious allocations but highlights persistent underutilisation of funds. BBMP expected Rs. 800 crores from a new advertisement policy but raised nothing. It aims for Rs. 1000 crores next year with better collection mechanisms.

"Under Brand Bengaluru, there’s been significant underutilisation. For example, Rs. 50 crores allocated for education last year wasn’t used, and only Rs. 1 crore of Rs. 275 crores for Healthy Bengaluru was spent. Despite a large Rs. 2960 crores allocation this year, only Rs. 385 crores was used in 2024-25. Dhananjaya Padmanabhachar, Convenor of Karnataka Home Buyers Forum, called for better footpaths and protection of land rights of owners.

Health, education, lake maintenance, and public amenities need better prioritisation. For instance, only Rs. 27 crores of Rs. 49 crores allocated for lakes was used. Some projects have been delayed or scaled down, suggesting the original budget was overly optimistic or based on incorrect assumptions."