BENGALURU: From protests, representations to government agencies and the Governor, to a complaint at the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the steel flyover project has seen opposition from all quarters.
Since the state cabinet approved the project on September 28, it has become synonymous with controversies.
The project was vehemently opposed right from the beginning with citizen activism seen like never before in the city. More than 2,000 people came out on the streets and formed a human chain to protest against project.
Opposition parties drew mileage out of this and alleged that the state government’s ulterior motive of pushing the project is nothing other than funding for the approaching UP elections. Some even alleged that Larsen and Toubro Ltd (company that received the tender for the project) was the reason behind the hurry in getting the project approved.
Environmentalists and locals opposed the project as it required axing of 800 trees and the cost was pegged at Rs 1,791 crore. Lack of proper public consultation and transparency were the major points of contention. Following the public outrage, BDA uploaded the detailed project report (DPR) on its website ahead of the protest day on October 15.
Citizens for Bengaluru (CfB) had demanded better public transport rather than a massive project like a steel flyover that will just push the traffic from one traffic signal to another.
The first protest took place on October 16, 2016 when over 2,000 people formed a human chain from Basaveshwara Circle to Mekhri Circle.
Further, CfB volunteers visited various localities and collected votes on the project. On October 23, about 41,848 citizens voted down the steel flyover. In a public consultation held on the same day, experts like Ramachandra Guha raised doubts on the haste pertaining to the project. While there was widespread opposition to the project, there was also a section that had demanded the implementation of the project, saying it would help ease traffic snarls.