Bengaluru flyover project: Karnataka High Court issues notice to state over green issues

Residents' associations have approached the court alleging the flyover project would lead to environmental degradation and have a long-term adverse impact on the quality of their lives.

3 min readUpdated: Sep 25, 2026 09:00 PM IST

Bengaluru residents' associations have approached the Karnataka High Court alleging the project would lead to environmental degradation and have a long-term adverse impact on the quality of their lives. (AI-generated image)

The Karnataka High Court on Friday issued notices to the Karnataka Government and Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) following a petition challenging the proposed 11.62-km elevated flyover connecting SV Road Metro Station to Silk Board Junction.

Residents’ associations have approached the court alleging the project would lead to environmental degradation and have a long-term adverse impact on the quality of their lives.

The elevated flyover would connect South and East Bengaluru, passing through key commercial and residential hubs including Madiwala, Koramangala, Domlur, and Indiranagar, before reaching Old Madras Road.

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Advocate Deepak Bhaskar, appearing for the petitioners, argued that a project of this nature has to necessarily be passed by the Metropolitan Planning Committee, envisaged under Article 243ZE.

Article 243ZE states that a metropolitan planning committee shall be constituted in every metropolitan area to prepare a draft development plan for the region as a whole.

The plea seeks to quash the tender issued by Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Limited (B-SMILE) to construct the flyover for Rs 1,300 crore, and, by way of interim relief, stay the operation of the tender or any works order or contracts issued thereto.

The petitioners argued that there is neither a plan by GBA nor a functioning metropolitan authority, and that projects such as these, which will have an irreversible effect on the character of the city and the layout of the city, cannot possibly be sanctioned without passing the muster under Section 243ZE.

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“According to the detailed project report (DPR), the contractor is likely to complete work within 24 months after the issue of the work order. But there is no example of elevated corridor projects being completed on time in Bengaluru,” the counsel for the petitioners said.

The counsel noted that this corridor was not part of Bengaluru’s Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP2020) or the 11 flyovers approved by the government. According to the DPR, 89 trees will be affected: 52 will be cut down, 37 will be relocated, and another 70 will have branches trimmed.

This corridor experiences severe congestion, pointing to the high volume of commuter and commercial traffic, stop-and-go movement, and peak-hour delays.

Also Read | Court refuses to halt tunnel construction ‘feared to affect’ Bengaluru’s Hebbal lake

I Change Indiranagar, a federation of resident welfare associations in Indiranagar, has written to the managing director of B-SMILE requesting a public consultation.

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The High Court is also hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) against tunnel road projects being proposed by the Congress government.

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