Intro: The city corporations will table their budgets only after the state government presents its own.
BENGALURU
The first independent budgets submitted by four of the five new city corporations of Bengaluru to the state government see the civic bodies mapping their financial needs and prioritising development. In their budgets submitted to the state’s Finance Commissioner, the Bengaluru Central City Corporation sought a grant of Rs 2,047 crore, followed by East’s Rs 1,685 crore, South’s Rs 1,675 crore, and North’s Rs 1,210 crore. This clearly indicated that the newly formed corporations will continue to rely heavily on state government support in their initial years. The West city corporation is also expected to place a similar demand as its budgeting process gathers momentum.
Maheshwar Rao, Chief Commissioner of Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) said, the budgetary exercise is being positioned as a shift towards decentralised urban governance. As part of their preparations, all five corporations invited suggestions from citizens, resident welfare associations, and organisations before framing their 2026–27 budgets.
According to officials involved in the process, the focus is on identifying local priorities in areas such as infrastructure, public health, safety, environmental protection, and social welfare.
Rajendra Cholan, Commissioner, Central corporation, said, our primary focus is the development of basic infrastructure in and around the central business district, for which about Rs 500 crore is proposed to be earmarked. About Rs 200 crore is proposed to be allocated for the development of basic infrastructure in slums, and the rest of the amount for solid waste management, lakes and horticulture, among others.
In North corporation, about Rs 500 crore is needed for major drain works, and Rs 500 crore for the construction of new roads. There is a special need of Rs 25 crore for the relocation of stray dogs, as the huge population of such canines is in our jurisdiction, said Pommala Sunil Kumar, commissioner, North corporation.
In South corporation, the major focus is on parks, roads, and waste management. Last year, GBA’s predecessor BBMP presented a budget of Rs 19,930 crore. The allocation was later increased to Rs 20,440 crore in the revised estimate. The state government released substantial grants for city development, enabling the rollout of large projects such as tunnel roads, white-topping, elevated corridors, flyovers, and the development of stormwater drains. A dedicated agency, B-Smile, was also set up to handle the implementation and maintenance of these mega projects, Rao told.
