Bengaluru: Jubilant at the government dropping the controversial steel flyover project, green activists and NGOs are calling it a victory for people power and warn that Bengalureans can no longer be ignored in planning for their beloved city. Next on their agenda is a commuter train and more buses to ease congestion on its roads. Chandrashekar G. reports
As people celebrated their “victory” on Thursday, former IAS officer , V. Balasubramanian called the government’s decision to back down on the controversial steel flyover project between Chalukya circle and Hebbal a “ face saver” as the National Green Tribunal (NGT) South Bench in Chennai, was expected to give its verdict on it in about a week.
“The government perhaps sensed that the order would go against it and decided to back down before it could come out as a face saver. Now the BDA will have to file an affidavit before the NGT saying it was withdrawing the project,” he added.
Happy that the combination of a sustained citizens’ movement and a legal battle by environmentalists and others had forced the authorities to give up their adamancy and dump the project, costing a whopping Rs. 2,000 crore, Bala subramanian, a key petitioner against the flyover before the NGT, claimed it was dubious from the start. “It was planned to massacre hundreds of trees without the bonafide permission of a tree officer and in the absence of an environmental impact assessment,” he noted indignantly.
Theatre personality, Prakash Belawadi, who had also actively opposed the project, called it a “victory for a citizens’ movement.” “If we can sustain in such engagement without the influence of politics and with solid data and reasoning we can have many such dubious projects scrapped. We must make the government listen,” he said, adding that although the decision was being attributed by some to the Govindraju diary entries, which allegedly pointed to kickbacks from the steel flyover project, what mattered was the citizens’ movement.
“For the first time, citizens stopped complaining and started to act and this brought the desired result,” observed Mr Alvalli Srinivas, a member of Citizens for Bengaluru (CfB), noting that the citizens’ movement was strong and sustained right from the forming of a human chain to the signature campaign and satyagraha. “It showed the people’s love for the city’s green cover and their opposition to a project that would have served no purpose. Unfortunately, for the government to wake up and listen, large numbers had to protest. Now the campaign has moved from Beda(No) to the steel flyover to Beku (we want) for better mass transportation,” he concluded.
Now that the steel flyover has been scrapped, what next?
Urban experts suggest that the commuter train must be promoted and the alternative road to the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) via Bagalur and Begur near Mylanahalli be given a facelift.
Mr N. S. Mukunda, a co-petitioner before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) believes that that a commuter train and an alternative road will solve the problem of congestion on the road to the airport. "Instead of spending Rs. 2,000 crore on the steel flyover, a few hundred crore will provide much needed succour to the city. This can be achieved in six months," he says, adding that the commuter train must run from Whitefield and Attibele to Devanahalli with a station at the trumpet interchange.
"A shuttle service can be provided upto the airport. This will ease at least 20 per cent of the congestion. Increasing buses will provide some relief on the busy roads as well," he says.
If the alternative road via Bagalur and Begur is improved, it can easily solve congestion by another 20 per cent, in his view. "This twin solution will solve traffic troubles on this stretch for the next 10 years. Meanwhile, the Metro Rail can be planned to ease congestion in Hebbal and Yelahanka too," he adds.
Prominent member of CfB and an architect, Naresh Narasimhan ,says some intervention is required at the magic box underpasses and flyovers and the Ballari Road from BDA to Hebbal flyover needs widening. "But while doing this the government must ensure that they translocate the trees to the palace grounds instead of axing them," he underlines.
- The government may have at last scrapped the steel flyover project, but it has spent at least Rs 5 crore of the taxpayers’ money on floating tenders and shortlisting the L&T to execute it . It has also made videos to show how the project can benefit the public.
- Mr N. S. Mukunda, a co-applicant in the petition before the National Green Tribuanl, says now that the state government has dropped the steel flyover project, they would insist on the NGT pronouncing its verdict as it could become a precedent for future projects that may harm the environment .
- Although the government has not spelt out its reasons for scrapping the steel flyover project, its believed it was prompted by fear of an adverse verdict by the National Green Tribal, earning the wrath of voters in the city before the 2018 elections, the citizens’ movement and the leaking of the Govindaraju diary contents on alleged kickback received for it.
- While the rest of Bengaluru may be celebrating the scrapping of the steel flyover project, people of Bengaluru North are so unhappy at it being dropped that they are threatening to launch an aggressive agitation to force the government to change its mind .
Priya Chetty Rajagopal, CXO Search Consultant
It is definitely victory of Bengaluru which could be achieved through a sustained movement for almost six months. It was a relentless campaign. It is a moment of great reflection and the government has heard us and decided to drop the project.
The movement has established a platform and there must be a dialogue. In future you will have no choice but to hear us. With the sustained campaign we could have saved boulevard at MG road and Jayanagar saved. The demand for commuter train has been hanging for over three decades and bus needs to be increased. It is such contract that today, we have 6,000 buses to 50 lakh people to travel and 62 lakh private vehicle to carry equal number of people! The sustained campaign must shift the government’s focus towards mass rapid transportation.
Sridhar Pabbisetty, CEO, Namma Bengaluru Foundation (NBF)
The scraping of the Steel Flyover project is a great moment in Bengaluru’s history. This amazing citizen uprising to oppose this adhoc infrastructural project not just through human chain but via satyagraha as well has brought a fruitful result.
Bengalureans must persistently participate in active citizen activism and get themselves involved in shaping the city’s future. One way to do it is to demand due, effective and deliberate public consultations for such projects. There should be a large turnout in every such public consultation.
Our immediate demand is that Government should provide a comprehensive and transparent mobility plan, which formulated with the assistance of urban experts. The plan must look at alternative solutions with due emphasis on protecting the environment and should be followed by due deliberation and effective public consultation.
Rajeev Chandrasekhar, MP
The news of the government’s climb down on Bengaluru’s dubious Steel Flyover project is very welcome. This project was characterized by unseeming hurry, no public consultation, no Environment Impact Assessment, Inflated costs and finally an alleged diary with kickback entries.
This is a victory for the due process of law as the NGT and High courts have shown the way. I am proud of the citizens and media of Bengaluru – they have proved themselves as worthy citizens of a great city! Namma Bengaluru! Citizen Power triumphs! I am immensely proud to represent you and be your MP. The battle for our city is only partially won.
No questions answered: Ashwin Mahesh, who impleaded in the petition against the steel flyover before the National Green Tribunal
When the government decided to build a steel flyover, it didn't really tell us why we needed it and not the many other projects which could improve traffic conditions in the city.
Why, for instance, were we not investing in more buses, and walkable footpaths? Instead, we were simply told that the BDA had carried out a detailed study, assured itself of the soundness of the plan, and decided to go ahead with it.
Now, when the government has decided to scrap the project, it isn't telling us why either. Has there been a change of thinking about mobility in the city? Has some flaw been found in the BDA's study? Have we under-estimated the cost? There’s no explanation. Instead, we are simply told that it won't be done.
And with that, we are simply expected to forget that there was ever such a proposal. We are supposed to forget that the deficits in the BDA that led to such a bad project being proposed, still exist.
We are supposed to forget that a master plan for mobility in the city is still not in place. We are supposed to forget that without large-scale opposition on the streets and in the courts, the project might have gone ahead.
But that's not likely. What we have witnessed over the last few months is an awakening of the city, which shows that people are no longer content to be led by the nose in whichever new direction the government chooses, but instead want an active voice in deciding those directions too.
That change, if it is permanent, can herald a whole new dawn for Namma Bengaluru.
It is a brand new direction, but a long overdue one. If we persist, we will not only begin to see the end of mindless project ideas, but also, and more importantly , the rise of necessary new ideas for development.
Let's not leave the job half done. Let's take the Rs 1900 crores and buy 4000 buses, and make truly walkable sidewalks in every neighbourhood. Then the battle will be truly won.
The writer is an urban expert
