BENGALURU: Residents of Bellandur staged protest on Wednesday demanding that a skywalk be constructed across the Outer Ring Road (ORR) near Iblur Junction. The protest was spurred by the recent death of a 19-year-old security guard Sanjay who was hit by a speeding taxi while he was trying to cross the ORR stretch near Iblur.
Over thousand residents formed a human chain demanding that a skywalk be erected forthwith. One of the protesters Sonali Singh told Express that repeated requests were made to the authorities but in vain.
“This stretch has IT companies and witnesses heavy traffic. The flyover ends near Iblur Junction, where vehicles just zoom through. There are two bus stops on the same stretch- Iblur and Bellandur. If IT professionals find it tough to cross the stretch, one can only imagine the plight of senior citizens and children,” she said.
Anuradha Guha, a mother of two teenage girls, said, “I send my daughters in cabs even to short distance only because it is risky to cross the stretch. There is an equal amount of risk involved in sending them alone by cabs. If only there was a skywalk, they would use the BMTC to travel and it would be safer.”
She explained that even as the authorities speak about a need to use public transport, if measures are not take to ensure connectivity, the purpose falls flat.
“If I want to board a bus and I cannot even walk up till there, I would certainly opt for a cab instead. The problem is particularly worse here with speeding vehicles,” added Guha.
Constables to be deputed
Traffic Inspector Rajshekar assured the protesters that two constables will be deputed to help pedestrians cross the stretch between 7 am and 10 pm in shifts. This will be a short-term measure until the skywalk was built.