Steel flyover protesters to queer the pitch
Bengaluru saw a series of protests and debates over the issue, the next round of opposition is going to be action- packed.
Bengaluru has seen a flurry of protests in recent times against the proposed steel flyover. These include a human chain and a ‘Call your MLA and MP’ campaign. Now the city is gearing up for the next round of opposition to the flyover, which is going to be on a bigger scale. From mobilising lakhs of citizens to a Tweetathon, to knocking at the doors of the National Green Tribunal, residents of Bengaluru are exploring every avenue to get the project shelved, reports Aknisree Karthik.
By saying that only those who don’t live in north Bengaluru are protesting against the steel bridge project, Bengaluru development minister KJ George has stirred up a hornet's nest.
The Citizens for Bengaluru, the umbrella organisation that comprises Namma Bengaluru Foundation, Environment Support Group, Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike, theatre personalities like Prakash Belawadi, Arundathi Nag and others are up in arms against the plan.
While Bengaluru saw a series of protests and debates over the issue, the next round of opposition is going to be action- packed.
Priya Chetty Rajagopal, founding-member of Citizens' Against Steel Flyover, told Deccan Chronicle, "We were all surprised by George's statement that the protests are not from residents of North Bengaluru. We are all residents of the city. Should I, for instance, only cast my vote (if I were to go and vote) in the constituency which I belong to?"
She said that they are doing all they can all to make the movement even bigger, which will happen if the government still shows signs of wanting to go ahead with the project. “All the 41,848 ‘beda’ voters will be our future volunteers. They will in turn be asked to bring 10 volunteers, this way the number of protesters will swell from thousands to lakhs to make the government understand that Bengaluru doesn't need a steel flyover,” she explained.
Giving inputs on the next course of action, Srinivas Alavalli, leading organiser of Citizens for Bengaluru said, “We won't stop till until the government drops the steel project. We will send letters to the National Green Tribunal requesting them to stall the project on environmental grounds as 812 fully grown trees have to be axed.” “Also,” he continued, “We along with our volunteers will chart plans on a day-to-day basis to keep the movement going.”
Traffic is the reason
The steel flyover is the brainchild of senior IAS officer Bharat Lal Meena. It was conceived when Meena was the BDA Commissioner. When asked about the project, Meena said it was because it wouldn't take long to build the bridge and while the project is in progress it would not affect traffic movement.
George in no mood for dialogue
The Congress party, which is trying to put on a brave front before the public while defending the proposed steel flyover, seems to be feeling otherwise from the within. Many party leaders, particularly the legislators, are cut up with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his Man Friday, K.J. George for mishandling the steel bridge controversy in the wake of public opposition and not many are coming out in the open to express their views.
A senior leader privy to the discussion between the party legislators and chief minister told Deccan Chronicle that Mr Siddaramaiah and Mr George had rejected the proposal to hold any dialogue with the group, which has been opposing the project. Mr George, after his re-induction into the cabinet, emerged very strong and has been influencing majority of the decisions of the chief minister. “Therefore, we can’t do anything on this matter,” sources said.
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During the meeting, a city leader had even suggested that considering the strong opposition from the public to the steel flyover project, the government should change the alignment, or shift from steel to concrete mode which was out rightly shot down by Mr George. The Bengaluru Development minister was of the view that the protesters either do not come to vote or do not have any hold on voters, so they should be ignored.
‘Cuts’ to make 40% of cost: The infrastructure projects, as succinctly put by historian Ramachandra Guha in one of the protest meetings last Sunday, seems to be related to ‘having cuts’. The bureaucrats, who are well-versed with these projects, estimate that nearly 30-40 per cent of the project cost, factored in the DPR might come back as usual cuts. “This is not the only project where such cuts may take place. In departments like irrigation, PWD and city infrastructure projects, the new revenue model works on these lines irrespective of the party in power,” sources explained.
Tweetathon
In their effort towards garnering support from the national level political leaders, volunteers of Citizens of Bengaluru, resorted to Twitter and tweeted with hashtag #SteelFlyoverBeda to official handles of Rahul Gandhi, Digvijay Singh, Siddaramaiah and K.J. George to register their protest against the steel project. Srinivas Alavalli, leading organiser of Citizens for Bengaluru said "We want the issue of steel flyover to reach national political leaders and national media. We will keep coming with such innovative ways to mark out protest till the flyover sees its end.
UR Rao meets CM, opposed to project
Former ISRO chief U.R. Rao met Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday to express his doubts about the proposed steel bridge from Chalukya Circle to Hebbal falling in the proximity of Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium on T Chowdaiah Road. Expressing his objection to the steel flyover, Rao said, “Aesthetics of the planetarium will be affected due to the proposed steel flyover as it is too close to the planetarium. I met Mr Siddaramaiah and BDA commissioner Rajkumar Khatri, requesting them to make the necessary changes to the present plan so that the planetarium is not affected."
Alternative suggestions by prominent architect
Architect and Urbanist Naresh Narasimhan has clearly stated that the purpose of the proposed mammoth steel flyover at a whopping cost of over Rs 2,000 crore, could be served just as well by construction of two smaller flyovers, traffic re-routing and road widening.
He said, “What is the point of investing crores on the steel bridge, when the traffic density on the stretch between Chalukya Circle and Hebbal can be solved by spending a much lesser amount?".
Explaining about the locations where the two flyovers can be built, Narasimhan said, "A flyover of 500 metres can be built before the Windsor Manor junction. The already-existing flyover after Windsor Manor junction should be removed as it is poorly designed and serves no purpose."
Furthermore, the second flyover of just 300 metres can be built near Cauvery junction, easing the congestion caused by the magic box, he explained and added that "Magic box can be widened and extended".
T Chowdaiah Road, which is wide enough, can be made two-way. The road along the Palace Ground walls should also be widened. All these things will serve the same purpose - ease traffic at a lower cost and there will be no need of the steel monster and chopping of trees, he said.
Once you cross the traffic light at Raj Bhavan road towards Hebbal, it will be free flow all the way, crossing the first flyover at Windsor Manor, crossing the second one at Cauvery junction and going beyond Mekhri Circle with ease. Even vehicles below the these two flyovers can pass quickly, Narasimhan said.
Letter to L&T chief to drop project
Citizens for Bengaluru, which is spearheading the 'Steel Flyover Beda' protest, on Wednesday sent an open letter to A.M. Naik, Chairman, L & T Ltd, the lead contractor of the project, requesting them to drop the project. In the letter, it was pointed out that as a leading corporate house, they should look at the impact of the project and withdraw at the earliest. "There are serious of violations of both statute and jurisprudence. The project will destroy the heart and soul of this city with the loss of 812 trees, heritage buildings, negatively affect the environment and the health and well being of the citizens of Bengaluru" the letter added.
Current status of project
Although the government is in the final stage of beginning the works for the the controversial steel flyover, according to Bengaluru Development Minister K.J. George it will not be launched on Kannada Rajyotsava (November 1) as no work orders have been issued yet. The project of laying 6.5 kilometre long steel bridge from Chalukya Circle to Hebbal, which was estimated to cost Rs 1,300 crore saw an escalation and stood at Rs 1,791 crore. But with the plan to extend the bridge by 1.6 km, to reach up to Esteem Mall, it is sure to cross Rs 2,000 crore.