'Bengaluru's steel flyover is a costly waste'

The steel flyover proposal along Ballari Road, which will link Basaveshwara Circle and Hebbal flyover in Bengaluru, has been widely criticised. The primary need for the flyover is for the decongestion of the heavy traffic that plies between Basaveshwara Circle and Hebbal en route to Kempegowda International Airport. 

 

The proposal has been under discussion for a while with no concrete plans mapped out. However, the project came under scrutiny, once again, when the Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) sought approval from chief minister Siddaramaiah, who cleared it in a heartbeat last month.

 

In order to proceed with the project, close to 500 trees will face the axe and also the green cover along the Karnataka Golf Course, Balabrooie Guest House and Military Memorial Park will be affected. Moreover, a couple of private constructions along the length of the proposed project  will have to be mowed down.

 

Its estimated cost is ₹1,350 crore, but the actual bid stands at ₹1900 crore, according to sources.

 

According to media reports, city development minister KJ George held a meeting with Bengaluru Vision Group to discuss the project. The Bengaluru Vision Group, also known as Bengaluru Blue Print Action Group, is headed by Siddaramaiah and includes Bengaluru bigwigs such as Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy, Azim Premji of Wipro, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw of Biocon, Sachin Bansal of Flipkart, Ramesh and Swati Ramanathan of Janaagraha Foundation.

 

When Asianet Newsable contacted Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, she said, "We are yet to discuss the project with KJ George and nothing is finalised yet. A meeting will be held in two weeks to discuss the project."

 

She added, "It is faster to construct a steel flyover as compared to a concrete one. Even though it's expensive, it's the need of the hour. Once approved, the project will be undertaken in a holistic manner."

 

Even after repeated attempts, KJ George remained unavailable for comment.

 

Is a flyover needed?

 

According to civic planning expert Ashwin Mahesh, "Nowhere in the world will anyone opt for a steel flyover which really expensive. Most importantly, do we even need this flyover? The current problem is at Hebbal junction which has to be tackled, and a flyover is not a solution. This is just a political move. The project cost for just a 6 km stretch is ridiculous. This project was never a part of the city's master plan in the first place."

 

Urban expert V Ravichandar, a member of Bengaluru Vision Group, questioned the need for a steel flyover as opposed to a concrete one. 

 

"Ideally, no elevated structures should be constructed in the city centre because of aesthetic and public transport factors. The government must promote usage of public transport as compared to private transportation. The idea of constructing a flyover means promoting private transportation." he said. 

 

"No major cities in the world have a steel flyover in the city centre, except for one in Hanoi, Vietnam. That took five years to construct."

 

"We do not know anything about this flyover project and its purpose. There has to be a transparent study to know what are the mobility problems that need to be dealt with. This project has been proposed without taking into account any public consultation, which seems shady. This could be a misuse of public money," said Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka, Rajeev Chandrasekar.

 

He added, "Any public project must be backed by citizens and not by an elite group."

 

According to the MP, the whole agenda behind this project is political and is taking the shape of an 'election funding' strategy.