BENGALURU: As over 90 per cent of Bengalureans have opposed the state government’s decision to construct tunnel roads and double-decker flyovers, experts and citizens said the focus should be on executing old pending projects instead of taking up new ones that are economically not viable.
They said that around 20 such projects that were announced and even started have been pending for the last two to seven years.
They pointed to the Karnataka High Court orders which stated that if a project is not mentioned in the Revised Master Plan (RMP) - 2015, prepared by the Bangalore Development Authority, then it stands no ground for execution. “In the absence of RMP-2040, the state government continues to follow RMP-2015, which is a decade old.
The high court had termed it void while hearing cases of particular layouts in Bengaluru. Also during the NICE corridor case hearing, it stated that if any project is not listed in the master plan then it is illegal. Going by this, the government cannot take up the tunnel road project.
The Metro rail project can also be termed illegal as there is no mention of it in the RMP-2015, for it was prepared in 2007,” said activist Sandeep Anirudhan.
Members of Bengaluru Town Hall said the government’s ad hoc planning and method of execution of works are only worsening Bengaluru’s situation. “The government should instead strengthen the Bengaluru Metropolitan Planning Committee (BMPC) as per the 74th Amendment of the Constitution and also prepare a new RMP focusing on the requirements of the city,” the members said.
Raj Duggar from the Citizens for Citizens said that four parallel online petitions are going on seeking public opinion on tunnel road, and many have raised objections. On the condition of roads in the city, he said the government is looking at quick-fixes, like filling potholes, but it should instead improve the condition of roads as per Indian Road Congress rules.
The government is looking at tunnel road as a solution for traffic congestion instead of executing pending and old projects at the earliest, which will ease traffic congestion and address Bengaluru’s growth, he added.