Civic bodies to raise funds via bonds to support Bengaluru infra: Siddaramaiah

Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah noted that financial support for Bengaluru increased significantly in the previous financial year

Five corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority will be allowed to raise funds through municipal bonds to support infrastructure projects in Bengaluru, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah said in his 2026–27 budget speech on Friday. Siddaramaiah said the corporations, which were formed after the restructuring of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, would mobilise resources based on their financial capacity.

Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah presenting the 2026-27 budget. (PTI)

Siddaramaiah noted that financial support for Bengaluru increased significantly in the previous financial year. “In the year 2025-26, the state government increased the grant for development of Bengaluru from ₹3,000 crore to ₹7,000 crore. This grant will be continued in the current year as well.”

The budget document said work on ward roads and civic infrastructure is being carried out across the five corporations at a total cost of ₹1,255 crore. “White-topping work for 158 km of road length has been undertaken at a total cost of ₹1,700 crore,” it said. “The development of arterial and sub-arterial roads has been implemented at a total cost of ₹1,936 crore.”

The document said white topping of over 450 km of roads will be taken up at an estimated cost of ₹3,000 crore in the next three years for long-term durability. It referred to the expansion of the Metro network, which currently encompasses over 96 km and carries around a million commuters daily. “It is proposed to complete a total of 41 km of additional metro lines during the financial year 2026-27. This will benefit approximately 1.5 million commuters.”

Siddaramaiah said a nine km pedestrian walkway along the metro viaduct on the Outer Ring Road will be constructed at an estimated cost of ₹160 crore.

He said the North-South Corridor project from Hebbal Junction to HSR Layout Silk Board and the East-West Corridor project from KR Puram to Mysore Road, covering a total of 40 km of tunnel roads, have been approved at an estimated cost of ₹40,000 crore.