Bengaluru: Steel bridge work to continue at Shivananda Circle

The State Government has decided to go ahead with the Shivananda Circle steel bridge project. Residents of Kumara Park East had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) to the High Court to stay the works. The division bench had instructed the appellants to submit an appeal to the Chief Secretary, Urban Development Department. The Chief Secretary Mahendra Jain, rejected the appeal by the complainants and issued an order to go ahead with the construction works.

The State Government has decided to go ahead with the Shivananda Circle steel bridge project.  B P Mahesh and 19 others, residents of Kumara Park East had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) to the High Court to stay the works. The division bench headed by Justice H G Ramesh and Justice P S Dinesh Kumar heard the PIL on Oct 25 and had instructed the appellants to submit an appeal to the Chief Secretary, Urban Development Department in this regard. Accordingly they had submitted an appeal.

On Oct 31 the appeal was inquired into by the Chief Secretary of Urban Development Department Mahendra Jain, who rejected the appeal by the complainants and issued an order to go ahead with the construction works. A copy of that order was submitted to the High Court on Thursday.  The division bench then permitted the complainants to submit a revised appeal questioning the decision of the Chief Secretary and posted the next hearing on Nov 16.

Mahendra Jain has argued in his letter that traffic congestion is an important issue in the City. The construction of steel bridge is an effective method to ease traffic congestion, especially at Shivananda Circle. Hence the steel bridge construction work will be continued, he said.