BENGALURU: The harrowing experiences in the aftermath of flooding has prompted Greenpeace India to write a letter to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, demanding that the plan to construct three-layer highways be scrapped due to its unsustainable nature.
“It is also critical that the state government does not use the crisis to build more flyovers or elevated corridors which will be counterproductive to the city and for the citizens. Socially beneficial infrastructure is needed with more equitable allocation of road space for people to access public transport rather than private vehicles,” said Avinash Kumar Chanchal, campaign manager for Greenpeace India.
The organisation stressed on long-term solutions to prevent flooding in the city, and reduce traffic congestion. “The unprecedented flooding in Bengaluru in the first week of September inundated 2,000 houses and damaged 22,000 vehicles, according to official statistics. However, the hardships and damages that hundreds of marginalised communities battled is yet to be accounted for.
It also exposes the city’s lack of planning in dealing with such events,” it stated, and demanded a climate action plans by local governments in collaboration with citizens. They urged that companies and tech parks incentivise their staffers to commute in public transport.
BJP GOVT DIDN’T CLEAR ENCROACHMENTS: REDDY
Speaking on encroachments in Bengaluru, KPCC working president Ramalinga Reddy said, “During the Congress government from 2013 to 2018, 1,953 encroachments were identified, and about 1,300 encroachments were cleared. The remaining 600 evictions could have been done by the next government, but not a single encroachment was cleared in the past three years. There are 47 lakes in Bommanahalli zone, of which 196 acres are encroached, 1,845 acres in 52 tanks in Mahadevapura area, 133 acres of 28 tanks in Yelahanka, and 160 acres of 37 lakes in RR Nagar are encroached.”