Public, police pressure BBMP to speed up KR Puram skywalk work

Bengaluru: After pressure from the public and jurisdictional traffic police, the BBMP has speeded up the construction work of a skywalk near ITI Gate at K.R. Puram on Old Madras Road, which is a death trap for pedestrians.

The skywalk may be thrown open to the public by the first week of February. Madras Road is a busy stretch with heavy vehicles and buses moving about constantly, making it difficult for pedestrians to cross. 

As it is also a major public transport hub, thousands of passengers cross the road after alighting from and for boarding buses on the stretch.

An official from the K.R. Puram traffic police station said that they were asking the BBMP to construct the skywalk as it was becoming difficult for people to cross the road and pedestrians were getting mowed down by vehicles moving at top speed on this stretch. He said, “Now, the work has picked up pace. We are glad that it will be thrown open to the public by next month. It is a much-needed skywalk, as it is an accident-prone zone. We want the BBMP to construct more skywalks in KR Puram as pedestrian causalities are high. We will send BBMP officials the details of spots where skywalks can be constructed.” 

People welcomed the move saying that the skywalk will help save lives of pedestrians and ease the movement of traffic. Mr Venugopal, a flower vendor, said, “The skywalk should have been constructed years ago, but the BBMP was lax. But at least now, they have woken up and this skywalk will surely help people. The traffic police should ensure that pedestrians use the skywalk to cross the road.”