BENGALURU: The fate of the elevated corridor project — proposed by the previous Congress-JDS coalition regime — hangs in balance with a change of guard in Karnataka, so much so that even the nodal agency for implementing it, the Karnataka Road Development Corporation Limited (KRDCL), is clueless.
With a new government at the helm, people are eagerly waiting to know its stand on the much-hyped project. While some want the BJP government to scrap the project as claimed by it ahead of the recent Lok Sabha polls, some want it to be implemented.
“With a change in government, we are now waiting for fresh directives. We will explain the project once again to the new chief minister. Work on issuing preliminary notification to acquire 190 properties between Shanthinagar bus stand and Hosur Road (near BOSCH factory) is on hold. Also, us entering into an agreement with the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board and the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd are also on hold ... project clearance is crucial. We can go ahead with the project even if we get an in-principle approval,” a KRDCL official told TNIE.
KRDCL Managing Director BS Shivakumar said as MD he cannot take decisions in this regard and it is for the government to take a call on the future of the project.Tenders issued for the first phase of the project are on hold because of court litigation. KRDCL had called for tenders for Phase I of the project (22.22 km). The total length of the entire elevated corridor project is 96 km.
Meanwhile, voices against the project continue to grow louder. N S Mukund, founder president, Citizens Action Forum, and also a petitioner in the Karnataka High Court against KRDCL and the state government for floating tenders for the project without holding public consultations, said the BJP was not against the project. “They had first suggested it in 2009,” he said, adding, “We now want the government to follow the Constitution and the rules ... seek public opinion in a structured way and prioritise what the city wants.”
Srinivas Alavilli, co-founder, Citizens for Bengaluru, said, “If the government thinks constructing flyovers will solve traffic menace, then there are 55 flyovers ... still the traffic condition hasn’t improved. Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP supported our campaign (Tender Raddu Maadi). Now it should think of strengthening public transport, especially the sub-urban rail project.”
Ashish Verma, Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Cistup, IISc, said, “If the present government is sensible and wants sustainable solutions for traffic problems, then they should scrap the project forever.”