What's the alternative to scrapped steel flyover? ask North Bengaluru citizens

Members of North Bengaluru Residents Welfare Associations are now protesting against this hasty and sudden U-turn made by Bangalore Development Minister  K J George. They are questioning the government on what is the alternative planned. Nearly, 500 people had gathered near Esteem mall demanding  ‘steelflyoverbeku’. Seems like the government will now have to do explaining on why the steel flyover is being scrapped.

In September 2016, the Congress-led Karnataka government had approved a proposal to build a seven-kilometre, six-lane steel flyover between Basaveshwara circle and Hebbal, in north Bengaluru. The project had been mooted many times since 2010 but was dropped each time due to some or the other opposition.

The  NH7 expressway ensures that traffic beyond Hebbal moves smoothly on to the airport but  the seven-kilometre stretch before it is a commuter’s nightmare. Crossing the Hebbal flyover, Mekhri circle and Cauvery junction is like torture, say members of the North Bengaluru Residents Welfare Associations.

Also read: People's victory in Bengaluru, a lesson in development for government

The demand from North Bengaluru is that if not a steel flyover there should be something else provided to save them from the chaotic traffic scenes of crossing Hebbal. On the issue of trees being cut for road widening and the construction purposes, the Deccan Chronicle has quoted a member of the Steel Flyover Beku group as saying that they were even willing to ready to plant 10,000 trees as an alternative for the 800 trees that are being cut to make way for steel flyover.

Protesters against the building of the flyover had suggested alternatives like metro or a suburban rail service, which would work as an alternate route to the airport. But citizens of North Bengaluru argue that all this would take up a lot of time to come up considering the logistics involved and more, what they needed was an immediate solution. Like the government’s stance, some people are of the belief that the rising number of vehicles on the road and the projected rise in future warrants such sacrifices.

The scrapping of the controversial steel flyover was induced following an alleged diary leak of one Congress MLC Govindraju. The diary also had an entry under steel bridge from where Rs 65 crore was marked as received. Previously, Yeddyurappa had also charged Siddaramaiah with taking Rs 150 crore kickback for sanctioning the steel flyover project in Bengaluru. With the law hot on their tails, it is being assumed that the Congress government in Karnataka took this decision to scrap the project in order to cool matters down.

Also read: Know why these Bengalureans want steel flyover!

• steel flyover scrapped
• steelflyoverbeku
• steelflyoverbeda
• North Bengaluru
• Bengaluru steel flyover
• Yeddyurappa
• Karnataka Congress