Bengaluru paying the price for scrapping steel flyover project, says Dy CM Shivakumar
D K Shivakumar says the Karnataka government is exploring alternatives like tunnel roads, elevated corridors and double-decker flyovers to tackle the traffic congestion in Bengaluru.
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D K Shivakumar, who is
also the Bengaluru development minister, was responding to a question raised in the Legislative Council by MLC Sudham Das on the steps taken to ease traffic in Bengaluru. (Source: X/ @DKShivakumar)Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said on Thursday that Bengaluru was now paying the price of traffic congestion for scrapping the steel bridge project, which had drawn objections over environmental concerns as well as corruption allegations.
Shivakumar, who is also the Bengaluru development minister, was responding to a question raised in the Legislative Council by MLC Sudham Das on the steps taken to ease traffic in Bengaluru.
“When K J George was the Bengaluru development minister, he planned a steel bridge on Bellary Road, but there was severe opposition. We are paying a price today for not executing that project,” he said, adding that as a result, the government was now exploring alternative solutions like tunnel roads, elevated corridors, and double-decker flyovers to tackle the congestion problem in the city.
He added, “We have now planned two tunnel roads–a 17-km stretch from East to West and a 23- km stretch from North to South. We will be calling for tenders for the first phase soon,” he said.
The controversial steel flyover project was aimed at easing traffic congestion on Bellary Road (NH 44), connecting Chalukya Circle to Hebbal. The Rs 1,791-crore project was a 6.9 km six-lane elevated corridor that was aimed at providing a traffic signal-free corridor. However, the project was met with severe criticism from activists and residents over environmental concerns, in view of the chopping of 800 trees the project would have necessitated. The project was scrapped following massive protests and the BJP’s allegations of corruption.
Soon after coming to power in 2023, Shivakumar had said he would not buckle under pressure from residents’ groups and activists like before, in an apparent jibe at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
“I have taken up the responsibility of Bengaluru seriously. Bengaluru is not a planned city like New Delhi. Only areas like Jayanagara, Indiranagara, and Malleshwara are planned layouts. The PRR project would have reduced traffic woes of the city to a large extent, but it was not executed,” he said in the Council on Thursday.
“PRR (Peripheral Ring Road) would have cost Rs 3,000-4,000 crore if it was executed then, but today it costs Rs 26,000 crore. We are going to execute PRR by taking a loan from Hudco,” he said.
“We are planning to build double-decker flyovers wherever the new metro lines are coming up. The BBMP and BMRCL will bear the cost equally. It costs Rs 120 crore to build one kilometre of a double-decker flyover. We have given a grant of Rs 9,000 crore for this project. We are also planning to build 300 km of 50-ft wide buffer roads along the storm-water drains to ease traffic as well. Rs 3,000 crore has been earmarked for this. We are also planning to build roads by issuing TDRs. A notification has been issued for the 7.8 km road from Hebbal to Hennur. A total of 320 km of new roads are being built in Bengaluru,” Shivakumar explained.
“We have allocated Rs 9,000 crore for white-topping of 1,682 km of roads. We have taken a loan of Rs 2,000 crore from the World Bank to build 850-km-long storm-water drains. Of the 850 km, a 480-km stretch is completed,” he added.
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