Bengaluru: The nucleus of growth will soon shift from core city areas to suburbs. Govt has plans to establish nine integrated industrial townships, expand mass transit, build new housing and region-wide water and sewage infrastructure across Bengaluru Metropolitan Region in the next decade.Chairing a meeting of the advisory committee on BMR’s economic development Monday, chief minister DK Shivakumar said the renewed infrastructure push comes against the backdrop of the state’s larger goal of taking its economy to a $1-trillion mark by 2047.For integrated industrial townships, govt has already acquired 7,900 acres, while acquisition of another 5,600 acres is under way. “I’ve instructed officials to identify suitable land for setting up an AI university and AI city, which we want to develop along the lines of Singapore’s Punggol,” Shivakumar said.Punggol is said to be Singapore’s first modern smart and sustainable eco-town. It was a fishing and farming village earlier.Amid concerns over frequent traffic snarls, CM said govt is considering 312km additional Metro lines, 210km ring road, 270-km RRTS network and expanded suburban rail connectivity as part of a larger development plan for BMR in the next 10 years.“The 210-km ring road will link 10 additional hubs and connect Phase II of Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) with NICE Road. The RRTS will connect Bengaluru with neighbouring districts such as Tumakuru, Mysuru and KGF,” CM said.Bengaluru development minister Krishna Byre Gowda said the entire Bengaluru Urban district will eventually come under the ambit of Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB). The move is expected to facilitate the expansion of water distribution and sewage networks beyond the existing serviced areas.
