Bengaluru, Mar 9 (IANS): Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa has announced a slew of projects to improve health infrastructure as well as cultural and business parks in Bengaluru as part of his Rs 7,795 crore allocated on Monday in his state budget.
Yediyurappa also announced to establish 100 acre theme park under public private partnership in Hesaraghatta to provide information and training with permanent exhibition and demonstration of native livestock and breeds of sheep/goats and poultry.
Hesarghatta is located 30 km from Bengaluru, and it is considered to be a grassland that was notified by the British in the gazette along with other grasslands of Bengaluru like Malleshwaram, Hebbal and Yeshwantpur.
The controversial project is figuring in the budget for the last 15 years, while the environmentalists are fighting to protect this last remaining grassland around Bengaluru.
The Bengaluru civic body will establish 57 new primary health centres in as many wards at an estimated cost of Rs 10 crore where outpatient and diagnostic services will be provided.
"These PHCs will be known as Janarogya Centres to provide primary health care," he said.
Yediyurappa said that a new multi-speciality hospital would be established in north Bengaluru to provide modern and specialist medical services to poor and migrant workers in the city.
He added that the Institute of Gastroenterology Sciences and Organ Transplant, one of the first institutes for organ transplantation in the country established in Victoria Hospital, will be equipped with 120 beds and equipment at Rs 28 crore which will be operationalised this fiscal.
The Chief Minister said that a 50-bed capacity sub centre will come up at the K.C. General Hospital for Rs 20 crore to reduce pressure on Jayadeva Institute of Cardiology.
In a bid to showcase Karnataka's rich culture, Yediyurappa said that the government has proposed to establish Experience Bengaluru Centre on the land belonging to Mysore Lamps in Malleswaram.
He added that Rs 2 crore had been set aside for conducting weekend literary and cultural programmes, Chitra Santhe, art and sculpture exhibitions and folk programmes at Mallathahalli Kala Grama (Mallathahalli Art Village).
Apart from this the Karnataka State Industrial and Infrastructure development Corporation (KSIIDC) will set up Bengaluru Signature Business Park of international standards near Kempegowda International Airport at an estimated cost of Rs 168 crore.
The Chief Minister said that the work on the second terminal taken up at an estimated Rs 4,751 crore is likely to be completed this year. "This will increase the maximum annual passenger capacity of KIA to six crore," he said.
He also added that the second runway at the KIA had already been completed at a cost of Rs 2,708 crore.