Karnataka govt, civic body ink pact with World Design Organisation to give new look to Bengaluru

The Karnataka government and the Bengaluru civic body on Monday entered into an agreement with the World Design Organisation to give a new shape to the capital city with focus on areas under the jurisdiction of Bengaluru Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (BMRDA).

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who holds the Bengaluru Development portfolio, said the WDO will be given the mandate to develop satellite towns in the BMRDA regions since there is little scope for big experiments and reformative changes cannot be done here.

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“Today, the State government and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) signed an agreement with WDO. Bengaluru has its own history. To make it a global city, we are trying to give it a new look. In the past a competition had taken place in which Bengaluru did not pass,” Shivakumar told reporters after the pact was signed between WDO president David Kusuma and BBMP Commissioner Tushar Giri Nath here.

The Deputy Chief Minister said the WDO has selected Bengaluru and has made suggestions regarding how the future of the city should be, changes to made with regards to roads, footpath, parks, road intersections and how the satellite towns should be developed.

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The WDO is headquartered in Canada. Around 200 to 300 engineers will take up the task to develop the city in the coming days, he said.

Shivakumar said the government will be considering implementing those suggestions in other parts of Karnataka after its success in Bengaluru.

“I have advised the WDO officials and requested them that major changes cannot be made in the city. Whatever they want to do should be extended to the BMRDA region. We have to plan for those regions now,” he said.