Karnataka Govt Plans To Borrow ₹3,500 Crore From World Bank For Civic Projects In Bengaluru

Bengaluru, November 27: The Karnataka government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has decided to seek a loan of ₹3,500 crore from the World Bank to carry out civic improvement works in Bengaluru on Wednesday. The government has sought the loan for the improvement of water supply, stormwater drains, sewerage systems and manage floods. The Deccan Herald reported that the officials expect the loan to be approved soon.

Here’s how the funds is being sought and would be distributed:

₹1,000 crore for the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB).

₹2,000 crore for the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).

₹500 crore for the Revenue Department.

Proposed projects include:

Building nine sewage treatment plants.

Laying 400 km of sewer network lines and constructing pumping stations.

Building 173 km of stormwater retaining walls and strengthening 80 km of old ones.

The ₹500 crore sought by the Revenue Department is meant for the Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority and Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre.

However, there are concerns about fund utilisation. The BWSSB has been criticised for allowing sewage to flow into the lakes and stormwater drains, while the BBMP has struggled to remove encroachments from waterbodies.

As per latest reports, President of the Anti-Corruption submitted a complaint to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) alleging misappropriation of funds by the BBMP which were allocated between 2013 and 2023-24 for the development of main roads and ward roads in the city. It is being alleged, as per reports from ANI, that the funds which were meant for building flyovers, under-bridges were completely misused.