BENGALURU: Citizen groups in Bengaluru are opposing the six-interconnected elevated corridors proposed in the recent budget presented by CM HD Kumaraswamy.
They have pointed a list of flaws in the project proposed to be constructed in the next four years at the cost of `15,825 crore. Adding on to the mounting opposition by the people against the project, The Citizens Agenda for Bengaluru has written an open letter to Kumaraswamy, titled "Open Letter to the Chief Minister of Karnataka - Elevated_Beda #SuburbanTrain_BRT_LastMile_Beku." This letter does not only try to rationalise the project but also lists out a set of alternative demands that could be implemented or at least looked into by the authorities.
'Citizens need to be involved in planning'
The project was first proposed in 2015 as a 'solution to the city's infamous traffic' and was later taken up by the BBMP. Even then, the proposal met with opposition from citizens. This year, without consulting
citizens of the city, the state budget allocated over `15 crores for the project, which is the main point of contention of this open letter.
The founder of the citizen group, Sandeep Anirudhan, says that a pre-legislative consultation with the citizens is necessary before sanctioning a project that's worth crores of rupees. He says, "Why should we spend our tax money on this project?" Another member of the Citizens' Agenda Group, Sonal Kulkarni, adds, "All citizens need to be involved in the planning of the city."
Alternative outlook
Commenting on the lack of foresight with regard to this project, the founder of the group claims that the authorities have not learnt from their earlier projects. "Look at the Electronic City corridor. When it ends, it leads to a long traffic. And sometimes, there is traffic even when you're on the corridor, leaving you stuck there, with nowhere to turn to, even in cases of emergency."
The letter suggests that instead of spending money on constructing these corridors, money could be spent on the optimisation of the existing transport system. They suggest creating a separate lane for buses, which will in turn, reduce the use of private vehicles. Another effective solution to revamp the bus services, they say, is updating the bus routes. Further suggesting other means of tackling the traffic problem in the city, Sandeep says, "We must plan an integrated approach. Instead, execute the suburban rail with an estimate cost of about `17,000 crore. It will help take off most of the load off the road."