BANGALORE: Around 300 residents of Rajajinagar took to the streets to protest against the BBMP’s road-widening project to create a signal free corridor at Dr Rajkumar Road on Sunday.
The march started at 3 pm from Vivekanada school and went till Navrang signal.
Residents of Tannery Road, Elgin apartments, Hosur Road, JPNagar, Outer Ring Road, BTM Layout, Akshayanagar and others affected by such road widening projects also pledged their support by taking part in the march.
A S N Kumar, member of Dr Rajkumar Road Citizen’s Support Group, said the BBMP was planning to create five signal-free corridors. “Though we are not against this, we just don’t see how this will help solve the problem,” he said.
Kumar said of the 16 intersections on this road, the BBMP was planning to make five intersections signal free. “Even if the traffic moves fast at the five intersections, it is bound to get stuck at the rest,” he said.
Kumar also said the plan was also posing a threat to around 248 properties and the government was not even planning on giving them any compensation.
“If the government intends to go ahead with this project then we will go to the court,” he said.
Vijay Rai Jain, member of the Tannery Road merchant’s association said about 37,000 properties have been hit due to road widening projects in the city. “The BBMP is doing nothing for the 2 lakh people who have been affected.”
He said the BBMP’s authoritarian attitude and its act of terrorising people into accepting Transfer Development Rights has left them with no option but to protest against this injustice.
Dinesh of Hasiru Usiru said according to the recent government statistics, Bangalore has 32 lakh vehicles which will progressively reach 50 lakh within the next 5 years.
“Hence, these road widening and signal-free corridor projects will not solve the problem, but will only lead to tremendous loss of livelihood and the city’s greenery,” he said.
He said the government has undertaken the metro rail project to reduce traffic congestion and it should wait for its completion, before deciding if the road really needed to be widened.
“Besides, Rajkumar Road has poor bus service. The BBMP should first improve this,” he said.