GBA's Five City Corporation Budgets for 2026-27 and Your Bangalore Home Search
Before 2025, anyone who wanted to know what the city planned to spend on roads and drains read one BBMP budget. In March 2026 that single document became five. This guide reads them for a home buyer: what the total is, what it is spent on, the works that matter for specific parts of Bangalore, and the limits of treating a budget as a promise.
A New Structure for Civic Planning
Above the city's corporations now stands the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), which oversees the Central, East, West, North and South corporations. Each prepared a budget for the twelve months from April 2026. The East and Central corporations went first, on 27 March 2026, with the rest a day later.
Because no elected council has existed in the city since 2020, officials delivered the speeches. Councillors elected later will take over the plans. Until then, appointed administrators decide the order of works.
Total Spending and Its Split
OpenCity's study of the five budget documents gives a combined outlay of Rs. 20,216 crore, against Rs. 19,930 crore planned in the previous year. The highest single plan, Rs. 4,732 crore, belongs to the West. The North plans Rs. 4,341 crore, and the other three corporations each plan less than Rs. 4,000 crore. Property tax is expected to raise Rs. 4,378 crore.
The West has 112 wards, the most of any corporation, so its money spreads thin. Size of budget therefore says little about quality of service. Territory, population and backlog drive the numbers.
Public works dominate spending by head, with nearly 60% going to roads, drains and lakes. Waste management comes second at 11.4%. Schooling and the council head each receive under 1%, and parks, health and welfare are minor lines.
Named Works at a Glance
Each corporation named projects in its speech. The table below collects the main ones; all of them are intentions for the year.
| Corporation | Named works |
|---|---|
| East | Rs. 450 crore to rebuild the ORR between Silk Board Junction and KR Puram. A Varthur-Gunjur flyover at Rs. 150 crore. Drains with World Bank backing at Rs. 629 crore. A 9 km footpath beside the metro viaduct at Rs. 160 crore. A wider Whitefield-Kadugodi road, 5.5 km long. |
| Central | New asphalt for 145 km of arterial roads and 115 km of ward roads; 12 junctions redesigned; Padarayanapura Main Road widened to 24 metres from 9; redevelopment of Russell Market, Rs. 112.75 crore |
| West | Micro-surfacing and road improvement at Rs. 787 crore; upgrade of six hospitals at Rs. 95.73 crore |
| North | Widening of twelve road stretches at Rs. 25 crore; pedestrian paths and skywalks at Rs. 50 crore |
| South | Rs. 60 crore to widen roads towards Begur, including Subramanyapura Road |
The East list matters most to people eyeing the IT corridor, since it includes Whitefield. Buyers in East Bangalore in particular depend on the ORR and drainage works to improve daily travel.
Paying Through Khata and FAR
The budgets also explain where money will come from, and two sources involve property owners. Fees for turning B-khata into A-khata are expected to bring the North Rs. 680 crore, the West Rs. 563 crore, with Rs. 225 crore expected in each of the East and South. Premium FAR, which lets developers buy extra floor area, should give the West Rs. 380 crore, with Rs. 360 crore for the South.
These figures imply that the corporations will chase both streams in earnest. A B-khata owner can use the drive to put records in order, and a buyer should check the khata and agree beforehand who pays for conversion. The East corporation reports that around 4.5 lakh of its khatas are digitised already.
Budgeted Is Not Built
Actual spending usually trails the plan. In 2025-26 the Central and West corporations used less than half of their budgets. About two-thirds was used by the East and South, and the best rate of the five went to the North.
Headline schemes follow the same pattern. Brand Bengaluru received Rs. 1,627 crore in 2024-25 and spent only Rs. 385 crore, though the new budgets give it Rs. 1,822 crore. A buyer should count roads that are already being built, not those that are only announced.
Six Steps for Buyers
The following steps keep a budget in perspective.
- Identify the corporation and ward for the property
- Find budget items that touch the route to work, such as a main road, a drain or a junction
- Walk or drive the stretch to see if work has started
- Hold off believing a seller's promise of upgrades until a tender is floated or work is ordered
- Check the khata and settle who pays conversion before the price is fixed
- Decide on what the area offers today in roads, water and drainage
A budget is context, not a guarantee, and fringe areas gain or lose the most from it. For the ward details, khata status and approvals attached to a specific home, contact our team.
