Everything You Need To Know About Bengaluru Smart City
What is “Smart City”?
According to the government, the definition of a ‘Smart City‘ differs from city to city. It is basically a scheme that can help in meeting the goals and needs of the citizens. It aims to develop urban eco-systems through various aspects of comprehensive development. It also requires institutional, physical, social, and economic infrastructure.
About Bengaluru Smart City Project
Bengaluru has become the 7th city from Karnataka to be included in the list of smart cities. The work is being carried out by a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) on January 3, 2018. The Municipal Commissioner is the Managing Director of the SPV.
Two board meetings have been held with the project management consultancy. An office is being set up and HR personnel is being hired. A Detailed Project Report (DPR) is being prepared for the tender.
Seven cities of Karnataka – Bengaluru, Tumakuru, Mangaluru, Shivamogga, Belagavi, Davangere, and Hubballi-Dharwad are already being developed under the Smart City Project. The entire infrastructure will be upgraded and made user friendly. Roads, pavements, public transport, parks, street lights, and the entire urban landscape will be improved. The center has been allocated ₹ 14,000 crores. If the Center accepts the proposal, all the top 10 cities in the state after Bengaluru will fall under the national project, which aims to transform urban agglomerations into “user-friendly” living spaces.
Nama Ooru Bengaluru is one of the 30 cities classified under this name and allocated ₹ 1,700 crores. Areas, cities, and towns around Bengaluru are expected to grow as a result of the “trickle-down effect”. Bengaluru Smart City has both area-based and pan-city development projects. They are about road construction, retrofitting of buildings, transit hubs, market development, command and control centers, and lake development.
The Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) is responsible for the distribution of electricity to the Government of Karnataka and Bengaluru.
Of the 30 projects finalized by BSCL, 13 dealt with tender SURE projects at a cost of about ₹ 455 crores, two illuminated the heritage of Bengaluru by developing Independence Park and illuminating buildings like Vidhana Soudha.
Why did Bangalore manage to make the list in the fourth round of selection?
Earlier, the city was not eligible as there was a fixed population cut-off limit for selection and at the same time, they seem to solve problems like road, field planning. In 2015, it could not figure in the list of capital cities that are allowed to compete above and beyond the quota allocated to each state. The Bangalore Smart City has been chosen based on two main parameters i.e. Pan City Proposals and Area-Based Development (ABD).
Pan City Proposals
Pan City includes distinct features with citizen-centric e-governance and services. The plan is also a partnership with the city’s infrastructure upgrades. Specific institutions to be involved in the development include a Property Tax Collection, Grievance Management Center, Neighborhood Security, Municipal Finance Improvements, B-TRIPS (Bengaluru transport-related information, and planning system), Participatory Budgeting, Public Project Management, and Citizens’ Data Hub.
Area Based Development (ABD)
The major key to the Smart City project is Area Based Development (ABD). Special attention is being paid to core areas of about 21.8 sq km, with ₹ 2,090 crore to ₹ 1,666 crores allocated to the entire smart city. These include the revival of the historic heart as well as the city’s economic zones.
Area Chosen For Smart City
Major areas selected for upgradation include Pete, the commercial center of MG Road, KR Market, Chickpet, Avenue Road, Brigade Road, Cantonment along with Old Market, and Commercial Street. Other projects include the redevelopment of Shivajinagar and the majestic bus depot, Russell Market, Swathya Palya slum, Cubbon Park, Ulsoor, and Sanki Lakes, and Casey General Hospital.
Some interesting plans to upgrade the KR market include loading and unloading bays for efficient vehicle movement, smart dustbin, five-ton capacity biomethanation plant, 900 smart vendor kiosks, and multi-level car parking systems.
In Malleswaram, there will be a parking facility for 375 cars, a water treatment plant, CCTV surveillance, KC General Hospital, Sanki Tank, and energy-efficient lighting. Efforts to improve Russell Market include improvements in the beef market and a pedestrian bridge connecting the area of the Shivajinagar bus stand.
About 53 PPP Proposed Projects
| Particulars | Amount (In Crores) |
| Total Cap-Ex under PPP projects | ₹ 276.91 |
| Funds coming from PPP Players | ₹ 234.28 |
| Viability Gap Funding (For Smart Sure project) | ₹ 42.63 |
Source: http://bbmp.gov.in
Area Based Development (ABD)
Revitalizing the city center of Bengaluru
ABD Landmarks
CBD & Admin – Kasturba Road, City corporation, MG road, and Vidhana Soudha, .
Socio-cultural – Vishveshwariah Tech., Chinnaswamy Stadium, The Museum, Aquarium, JN Planetarium, and Kempegowda Museum.
Old City Center – Avenue Road, Commercial Street, Brigade Road, Cantonment, and Historic Pete – Chickpet.
Parks & Lakes – Bal Bhavan, JL Planetarium, Sankey Tank, IG Musical Fountain, Ulsoor Lake, and Cubbon Park.
Culture & Heritage – Historic markets, Ulsoor, Temples in Malleswaram, Jama Masjid, and St. Mary’s Basilica, & Bangalore Fort.
Transit Hubs – 2-Metro Interchanges, City Railway Station, and 2-City Bus Stations.
City Layers
Land Use Map – 19 percent – Public & Semi-Public, 28 percent – Commercial, and 13 percent – Mixed-Use
Built vs Open – 29 percent Built-up
Parks, Open Spaces & Lakes – 13 percent Open space
Transportation Network – 97 km of major roads
Stormwater Drain Network – 556 km within Aare Based Development
Sewerage Network – 417 km within Area Based Development
Area Based Development
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Revitalization Of Historic Heart Of City
- Infrastructure revitalization (increase in capacity and coverage)- power, sewage system, water supply, Surface drainage, and telecommunication
- The city center needs the highest degree of walkability due to the highest footfall number
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Integrated Mobility Towards Creating Vibrant Destination
- Building on Tender SURE and Proposed Metro Station
- Combining Shivajinagar bus depot to Russell Market through an overhead pedestrian bridge
- Reuse of underutilized public area and infrastructure towards economic viability
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Upgradation & Redevelopment Of Historic Economic Centres
- Retrofitting of the historic market center through improved public transport connectivity and effective distribution management
- Proficient vending and increased retail footstep through effective space management
- Desegregating the proposed metro station to market through an overhead pedestrian bridge
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Innovation Of Downstream Clean Up Of Drainage System
- Green drives for water body clean up
- Improved groundwater recharge
- Creating a lively and accessible public space within the ABD
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Preservation And Redevelopment Of Centrally Located Parkland
- Revitalizing the central city through pedestrian connectivity and placemaking
- Desegregate the green network for heritage and cultural places around Kabban Park
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Increasing Affordable Housing Stock Through Slum Development
- Upgrading of housing units
- Physical infrastructure – sanitation, street lighting, roads, and water supply
- Social infrastructure – Community Center
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Health Care Facility Retrofitting
- Health care center construction redesigned
- Heritage protection of building
Pan City Proposals
Citizen-Centric E-governance And Services
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Grievance Management
- Central Command Center for receiving inquiries of citizens in agencies
- Smart kiosks for people without digital introduction
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Municipal Finance Reforms
- Municipal Audits
- City dashboard as a single MIS
- Studying the wards and roads to correctly report the status of infrastructure
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Participatory Budgeting
- Campaigned to engage the campaign and residents and published the resulting, scrutinized results
- Citizen app that combines neighborhood and ward level information from citizens
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Improvement of Neighborhood Safety
- Community Policing
- CCTV monitoring
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Reform in Property Tax Collections
- 3D building mapping for the city using drone technology for property evaluation,
- public assets, regulation, and revenue augmentation
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B-TRIPS (Bengaluru Transport linked information and planning system)
- Single Smart Card for all public transport
- PIS system
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Public Project Management
- Online project information system presenting information on projects
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Data for Citizens
- The open data portal is based on the ideas of producing spatial data for citizens
Detailed Project Capital Cost of ABD
| Projects | Cost (In Crores) |
| Revitalization of the historic heart of the city | ₹ 1166.72 |
| Integrated mobility towards creating a vibrant destination | ₹ 234.12 |
| Shivajinagar bus station and Russel Market precinct | ₹ 233.12 |
| Upgradation and redevelopment of historic economic centers | ₹ 184.92 |
| Malleshwaram market | ₹ 131.83 |
| KR Market | ₹ 53.08 |
| Increasing affordable housing stock through slum redevelopment (Swathanthra Palya Slum Redevelopment) | ₹ 43.93 |
| The innovation of downstream clean-up of the drainage system | ₹ 37.35 |
| Ulsoor Lake | ₹ 24.42 |
| Sankey Tank | ₹ 12.94 |
| Retrofitting of a healthcare facility (KC General Hospital) | ₹ 12.01 |
| Protection and redevelopment of centrally located parkland | ₹ 6.07 |
| Majestic bus station | ₹ 1 |
Detailed Project Capital Cost for Pan City Proposals
| Projects | Cost (In Crores) |
| Improvement of Neighborhood Safety | ₹ 32.4 |
| Grievance Management -Central command center for accepting citizen queries | ₹ 31.11 |
| B-TRIPS (Bengaluru Travel Related Information and Planning System) | ₹ 25 |
| Improvement in property tax collections for the whole city in a phased manner | ₹ 5 |
| The open data portal for citizen information and innovation | ₹ 5 |
| Online project information system for public project management | ₹ 5 |
| Participatory Budgeting | ₹ 2 |
| Municipal Finance | ₹ 1.7 |
Source: http://bbmp.gov.in
Bengaluru Smart City Updates
In December 2019, two years after the formation of a special purpose vehicle (SPV) for the project, the city is yet to complete a single project. The ranking of the city on the Smart Cities Mission has fallen from 30 in March 2019 to 36 in October 2019. The city has taken its time in approving detailed project reports (DP₹), issuing tenders and work orders, and is also lagging in actual work on the ground.
Progress Of Smart City Projects
The total number of projects is 7 at a cost of ₹ 927.51 crores. Two are running. One was tendered. Four DP₹ are on stage.
Financial Progress For Bengaluru Smart City Project
In Phase-3, Bengaluru Smart City Limited is covered, for which the Government of India released ₹ 155 crores, while the Government of Karnataka released ₹ 55 crores.
The LED Street Light Project
The LED street light project was launched by Bright Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) long before the city was selected by the Smart Cities Mission at a cost of ₹ 800 crores but yet to be completed.
Still To Raise Money From The Market
Under the Smart Cities Mission, the selected city will receive ₹ 500 crores from the central government and a matching grant by the state government. But significantly, the city had to raise matching capital of ₹ 1,000 crores from the market, bringing the total funding for the project to ₹ 2,000 crores.
Phase A Of The Smart City Project
On June 25, 2019, Phase A of the Smart City Project kicks off from Shivajinagar. Phase A covers 20 roads that span 17.63 km in the Central Business District (CBD). It includes the revival of the historic heart of the city. TenderSure roads and smart components such as signaling, parking systems, and solar charging ports. Bengaluru Smart City Limited (BenSCL) shared the status of the project with BM. The DPR (Detailed Project Report) project cost ₹ 255.69 crores and the work order cost ₹ 273 crores.
Phase A Roads
| Kamara Road to Jumma Masjid Road | 0.46 km |
| M G Road to Commercial Street & up to St John’s Road | 1.83 km |
| Dickensen Road to Kensington Road | 0.59 km |
| M G Road to Kamaraj Road | 1.2 km |
| Infantry Road from Ali Askar Road to Safina Plaza Complex | 1.65 km |
| Central Street from MG Road to Shivajinagar Bus Stand | 0.84 km |
| Bowring Hospital Road to HSIS Gosha Hospital | 0.84 km |
| Millers Road from Chalukya Circle to Cantonment | 1.31 km |
| Raj Bhavan Road from Minsk Sq to Basaveshwara Circle | 0.92 km |
| McGrath Road from Brigade Road to Richmond Road | 0.46 km |
| Convent Road from Richmond Road to Residency Road | 0.42 km |
| Hayes Road from Richmond Road to Residency Road | 0.31 km |
| Wood Street from Museum Road to Richmond Road | 0.28 km |
| Castle Street from Museum Road to Richmond Road | 0.38 km |
| Tate Lane from Richmond Road to Castle Street | 0.13 km |
| Kasturba Road from Siddalingalah Circle to Minsk Square | 0.74 km |
| Queens Road from MG Road to Cantonment Railway Station | 1.83 km |
| Raja Ram Mohan Roy Road from Richmond to Hudson Circle | 1 km |
| Lavelle Road from MG Road to Richmond Circle | 1.38 km |
| Brigade Road from MG Road to War Memorial Junction | 0.32 km |
Phase B Of The Smart City Project
Tenders have been approved for Phase B covering 16 roads at 12.67 km. The cost of DPR Phase B is ₹ 200.81 crores and the work order cost is ₹ 191.14 crore. This includes the redevelopment of the KR Market which will include new infrastructure such as a new meat market, organized bus terminus, and improved pedestrian connectivity. A skywalk is being planned to connect the Namma metro station and the second floor of KR Market. The DPR of the KR market costs ₹ 58.69 crores.
COVID-19 Impact on Bengaluru Smart City Project
COVID-19 and nationwide lockdown have not only disrupted the projects initiated by Bengaluru Smart City Limited (BSCL) but have also brought officials from various departments to sit at a table and restructure the projects so that the city gets to be prepared post-epidemic era.
Covid-19 outbreak also disrupted the work of projects that were awarded first, due to the lockout and later, due to labor shortages. Our ambitious projects which sought to provide practical solutions to the city’s problems, as our focus was on fighting the disease.
Impact of Smart City Project on Bangalore Real Estate
The real estate sector in the country has suffered a massive setback from the COVID crisis and national lockdown. In the first three months of its outbreak, it stopped construction activities and its potential buyer-base market declined significantly. Property transactions have fallen to almost zero during the country-wide lockdown between March and June 2020, with the realty sector facing some of the most challenging times. Dependencies of supply chains, labor migration, cost overruns, and liquidity bottlenecks have emerged and some have emerged as challenges.
As the nation is progressively opening up after the lockdown, real estate markets are also recovering. According to several major research reports, India’s residential real estate market is on the verge of a decisive comeback from serious homebuyer inquiries, which rank 50% of pre-COVID-19 in top cities.
Interestingly, Bangalore is the leader in the country in terms of real estate recovery, and the current inquiry is back at 70% of the January-February period, followed by Gurgaon at 65%.
Smart City has huge implications for real estate in Bangalore. A smart city project in Bangalore is expected to provide high-quality infrastructure for the establishment of many industries and technology establishments. The industrialization of these smart cities provides employment opportunities to its resident. Good employment opportunities and good quality of life due to information and communication technology infrastructure (ICT) attract a good workforce, which in turn will lead to demand for housing across Bangalore. Moreover, this will improve the quality of life and promote sustainable living in urban and semi-urban locations. More than a hundred smart cities have been identified in counties expanding urban and semi-urban centers. With improved infrastructure, facilities, and connectivity, these cities promote not only housing but employment, office space, shopping malls, hotels, health centers, educational institutions, and other assets such as service apartments and retail malls.
The introduction of real groundwork has a lot of potential for both builders and investors, besides residents. With the right kind of policies and approvals coupled with the government’s ambition to provide Housing For All By 2022, many builders and developers will be ready to be part of the smart city initiative. Smart cities also offer good investment options with ample scope for price appreciation, especially for long-term investment horizons. A case in point is the city of GIFT in Ahmedabad, which has already resulted in property prices of 10–15% annually (and in some areas around 30–40%).
