Kodigehalli: A bridge too far for residents

BENGALURU: In January last year when the BBMP announced that a railway under bridge (RUB) would come up in Kodigehalli, the residents of Sahakar Nagar, Thindlu and Vidyaranyapura hoped that it would finally provide them relief from choking traffic gridlocks. “The roads were bad with bumper-to-bumper traffic. We thought once the RUB becomes operational such problems would come to an end, said Padmanab, a resident of Dhanalakshmi Layout.

However, fifteen months later there has been hardly any progress at the work site, marred by frequent interruptions, and of late they have come to a standstill. “As part of the project, the BBMP had blocked all the access roads to Kodigehalli. The work started in January and got stalled after some time. It resumed in August and came to a halt within a couple of weeks. It is highly inconvenient to residents travelling to and from Thindlu, as we now have to take a long detour. We have been spending at least half-an-hour more on the road because of the increasing congestion and long detours,” said Sreenivas, a resident of Thindlu.   

If this wasn’t enough, the situation has worsened in the last few days after it rained heavily. The parallel road to Kodigehalli towards Sahakar Nagar is potholed and dangerous for motorists, observed Mangala, another resident.  

She said, “It was a nightmare to wade through the water-logged road, (near Virupakshapura), especially near the railway gate. Cables are left to hang from all sides of the road and even if we are get injured, the officials are least concerned. Since the access roads have been blocked, buses have stopped plying to Kodigehalli and the roads are already in bad condition. The officials don’t finish the work on time, don’t maintain roads nor are they concerned about our safety.”

Though the residents have urged the BBMP to complete the works at the earliest, it seems like they have hit a dead-end, with the government authorities at loggerheads with some residents.

Some residents sought cash compensation instead of TDR
DC speaks to Yelahanka Joint Commissioner Sarfaraz Khan.
Excerpts.

Why is the railway under bridge work in limbo?
The work has currently come to a standstill as around seven families, which reside in the vicinity of the site, have refused to give Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) to the BBMP and sought cash compensation. They have demanded a little above Rs 4,000 per sq.ft, while we have offered Rs 2,000 per sq.ft. The allocated funds for the project is Rs 5 crore and if cash compensation is to be given as per the demands of the residents, it would escalate to Rs 16 crore.  Hence, the works have now come to a halt.

Why was TDR not taken before the commencement of project?
 The residents had agreed to handover the TDR earlier, but backed out after the commencement of the works. Hence, we were left in the lurch.
 
What is the status now? When will the works be completed?
The ward comes under minister Krishna Byre Gowda constituency and he is expected to hold talks with the residents in the coming week.

We are hoping that it will be fruitful. If they agree, we will resume the works immediately and will complete the project in a year.