SHRI ANANTH KUMAR (BANGALORE SOUTH): With your permission, I am raising a very important issue of having a mass transport system for Bangalore.

In 1971 Bangalore had only 16 and odd lakh population and now the population is about 70 lakh.  It is expected that within a few years it is going to cross one crore population.  As far as the vehicular population is concerned, the Bangalore roads were planned for four lakh vehicles.  Now, according to March 2005 statistics, the vehicular traffic is 25.6 lakh.  Every day, 900 new vehicles are being registered and there is a great incidence of air pollution and noise pollution.  Every day three persons are getting killed and 18 are getting injured because of traffic related accidents.  Due to the increase in air pollution, every family is suffering from various respiratory and ophthalmic problems.

Therefore, in 2003 the NDA Government under the leadership of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee had commissioned one Detailed Project Report .for Bangalore Metro, which was concluded.  Later, in 2004 the Planning Commission of India had also given in principle approval.  The hon. Prime Minister when he visited on 11th February, 2005, supported the proposal.  Hon. Urban Development Minister visited Bangalore on 16th February and he also supported it.  The hon. Finance Minister during his Budget speech had said that Bangalore Metro would be supported by the Union Government.  The Public Investment Board had approved the Bangalore Metro Project on 6th August, 2005.  Now, the Bangalore Metro Project is pending before the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.

Many times, myself and other hon. Members, Dr. Sangliana and others, have met the hon. Urban Development Minister with the request to implement the Bangalore Metro Rail Project forthwith[R9] .

But I do not know why it is being procrastinated.

I urge upon the hon. Minister of Urban Development to expedite the clearance.  The Union Government should give clearance and the Bangalore Metro should start rolling.

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