Bengaluru‘s large-scale infrastructure projects, including tunnel roads and elevated corridors, may soon be managed by a standalone government entity, similar to water, electricity, and metro services. The state government is considering establishing a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to oversee these projects, potentially named Bengaluru Smart Mobility Infrastructure Ltd (B.SMIL) or Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Ltd (B.SIL).

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is expected to announce the SPV in the state budget on March 7. The new body would take over key projects from Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), raising concerns about reducing the municipal authority’s responsibilities. Officials suggest dissolving Bengaluru Smart City Ltd (BenSCL) to create this new entity.

As part of the Brand Bengaluru initiative, Deputy CM D K Shivakumar has proposed Rs 1 lakh crore worth of infrastructure projects, including two tunnel roads (Hebbal-Silk Board and KR Puram-Nayandahalli) costing Rs 40,000 crore, a double-decker road-cum-metro project, sky decks, and white-topping 1,700 km of roads. These projects are likely to be handed over to the SPV due to BBMP’s limited capacity to execute them efficiently.

However, experts like Srikanth Vishwanathan from Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy warn that bypassing BBMP with multiple agencies reduces accountability, making governance more complex. Bengaluru already has independent bodies managing waste, water, and electricity, leaving citizens uncertain about whom to hold responsible for city services.

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