Karnataka Chief Minister, D.K. Shivakumar, on Friday urged the Centre to accord Bengaluru the same priority as Delhi and ensure an equal sharing of the financial burden of Metro projects between the Union and state governments.
Addressing Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Metro inauguration programme held at the IIM-Bangalore auditorium, Chief Minister Shivakumar also sought speedy approval for pending Metro projects and said the state aimed to expand Bengaluru’s Metro network to 500 km in order to address the city’s growing traffic congestion. He also submitted a memorandum to PM Modi on the stage after his address.
Calling for greater cooperation between the Centre and the state, CM Shivakumar said Karnataka was ready to work with the Union government for the country’s progress.
“Let us compete in politics, but cooperate in development,” he said.
“Elections may produce different political mandates, but the aspirations of the people do not change. When the Centre and the state work together, the country moves forward.”
He said a strong Karnataka and Bengaluru would contribute to India’s growth and added that the state was an important pillar in the vision of a developed India.
“Metro projects are described as being funded on a 50:50 basis by the Centre and the state. However, the financial burden on the state government is much higher,” Shivakumar said.
He said the state was bearing the costs of land acquisition, repayment of foreign loans and Central and state taxes.
He urged nationalised banks to provide loans at lower interest rates and sought an equal sharing of the overall financial burden of Metro projects.
CM Shivakumar said Bengaluru had built a Metro network of 103 km and the government had set a target of expanding it to 500 km.
“We have undertaken several major projects to address Bengaluru’s traffic congestion, and Metro is an important part of this effort,” he said.
The Chief Minister said approval for some Metro projects had been pending for the past two years, including the proposed Red Line. Detailed project reports had been prepared several years ago, but delays had increased project costs, he said.
He urged the Prime Minister to direct the concerned departments to provide early approval for the revised DPRs. CM Shivakumar also sought equal sharing of the additional costs arising from delays, operational losses and repayment of foreign loans, on the lines of the Delhi Metro model.
He suggested the creation of a technical institution for Metro projects, saying Bengaluru could play a role in supporting Metro cities across the country. A technical committee could recommend projects for approval, helping speed up the process, he added.
CM Shivakumar said the state aimed to expand Bengaluru’s Metro network to 500 km with the Centre’s cooperation, which he said could help reduce traffic congestion by 50 per cent.
Citing former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s call to dream, the Chief Minister said the government was committed not only to dreaming big but also to implementing those dreams through proper planning and timely decisions.
“People in Bengaluru spend two to three hours every day in traffic congestion. We are working to find a solution to this problem so that people can spend less time on the roads and more time with their families,” he said.
The Chief Minister also appealed to the Prime Minister to provide drought relief to Karnataka, stating that the state was facing a severe drought.
He said Karnataka had received the lowest rainfall in the past 70 years and that 226 of the state’s 240 taluks had been declared drought-affected.
According to CM Shivakumar, crop losses had affected around 85 lakh hectares, with the state suffering losses of about Rs 62,000 crore. Karnataka had sought Rs 22,000 crore in assistance through the National Disaster Response Fund, he said, urging the Centre to release relief funds at the earliest.
CM Shivakumar said the state wanted to bring an all-party delegation before the Prime Minister to explain the drought situation and discuss ways to provide relief to farmers.
The Chief Minister also raised the concerns of sugarcane growers, saying farmers were demanding Rs 5,500 per tonne of sugarcane.
He pointed out that the Minimum Selling Price of sugar had remained at Rs 31 since 2019 and sought the Centre’s support for sugarcane farmers. He also urged the Union government to ensure a fair share for Karnataka in ethanol allocation.
Highlighting Karnataka’s contribution to India’s industrial and technological development, Shivakumar said the state had a rich legacy of several pioneering achievements.
He said Karnataka was among the earliest places in the world to generate electricity in 1902 and Bengaluru was the first city in India to receive electricity. Bengaluru was also home to India’s first aircraft manufacturing facility established by HAL, he said.
The Chief Minister said Bengaluru had emerged as a major centre for research and development, technology and manufacturing. He highlighted Karnataka’s contribution to India’s startup ecosystem, Artificial Intelligence, chip design and defence sector.
“Karnataka was the first state in the country to introduce a startup policy,” he said, adding that Bengaluru had emerged as one of the world’s major centres for AI talent and technology.
CM Shivakumar said around 1.5 lakh engineering graduates and 13,940 doctors were produced in Karnataka every year. He also highlighted the state’s participation of women in industry and its position in GST collections and foreign investment.
The Chief Minister said Karnataka’s strong human resources and economic contribution made continued cooperation from the Centre essential.
Invoking the teachings of Basavanna and the Bhagavad Gita, Shivakumar said Karnataka remained committed to hard work and contributing to India’s progress.
