It's on Bengaluru street now: Beda, beku brigades fight over steel flyover

Bengaluru: If the city recently saw thousands form a human chain to declare "Steel flyover beda," it saw hundreds take to the streets from Kodigehalli to Esteem Mall on Saturday and declaring, "Steel flyover beku."

Participants in the rally led by the resident welfare associations of Sahakara Nagar, Kodigehalli, Dr Shivaram Karanth Nagara, Vidyaranyapura, Jakkur and Yelahanka,  argued the proposed steel bridge between Chalukya Circle and Hebbal would be a boon for the people of Bengaluru North.

“Those living in other parts of the city are not aware of the traffic congestion we have to put up with owing to the over three lakh vehicles that use the Hebbal flyover every day. It takes over 46 minutes to get to Chalukya Circle from Hebbal.

The steel flyover will  solve this problem,” said Dr Rajesh, principal, Cauvery College of Education and president of the Dr Shivaram Karanth Nagara Welfare Association. At the same time, volunteers from the “beda brigade” went around the city collecting votes from citizens against the Rs 1,800 crore steel flyover. The volunteers stationed themselves at popular malls, residential areas and Majestic bus-stand to get people vote on the controversial project.

Not everyone is against the steel flyover planned between Chalukya Circle and Hebbal. While thousands of Bengalureans recently formed a human chain to say no to it, hundreds of people from Bengaluru North took out a rally from Kodigehalli to Esteem Mall on Saturday demanding the state government go ahead with the project.

Led by resident welfare associations of Sahakara Nagar, Kodigehalli, Dr Shivaram Karanth Nagara, Vidyaranyapura, Jakkur and Yelahanka, the rally saw college students too join in, holding placards saying , “Steel flyover beku,” in retaliation to those who have been chorusing, “Steel flyover beda.”

Dr Rajesh, principal, Cauvery College of Education and president of the Dr Shivaram Karanth Nagara Welfare Association argued the  bridge would greatly help people of Bengaluru North. “Those living in other parts of the city are not aware of the traffic congestion we have to put up with owing to the over three lakh vehicles that use the Hebbal flyover every day. It takes over 46 minutes to get to Chalukya Circle from Hebbal. The steel flyover will  solve this problem,” he insisted. Asserting that the rally in support of the bridge was not politically motivated, he added, “We do not belong to any political party.”

Another participant, A. Shivarama Setty, general secretary of the Karnataka Abhivruddi Mattu Anustana Samiti, said, “We know 800 odd trees will have to be cut, but this cannot stop development. We residents of the area and college students have taken a pledge to plant as many saplings as possible. Due to the traffic congestion in the area, 14.3 lakh litres of fuel is wasted in a month.”

BDA uploads 3D video of bridge on website
In a clear move to counter the opposition to the proposed steel bridge between Chalukya Circle and Hebbal, the Bengaluru Development Authority has uploaded a 6.36 minute 3D video showing how it would look when completed on its website www.bdabangalore.org <http://www.bdabangalore.org/> .

Taking the viewer  through the 6-lane steel flyover from the Race Course Road, Dr Ambedkar Road, Raj Bhavan Road and Millers Road to its very end at Hebbal, the video attempts to show how it could help ease traffic on the route.  

Denying rumours that work orders for the bridge had been issued to L&T, BDA engineer member,  P.N. Nayak told the Deccan Chronicle the government had not yet  decided on the date to lay the foundation stone for the project.