Prof M N Sreehari, advisor to the government on traffic, transportation and infrastructure, has for long been opposed to the TenderSure project, aimed at upgrading roads in the Central Business District to international standards. "It has been three years since I have been objecting to the project and surprisingly, the voices that supported my line of argument are now quiet. It is sad," he says. While not entirely happy raking up the issue all over again, he agrees to speak about it to the Deccan Chronicle in the quiet of his study. "This issue usually makes me upset about bigger issues like corruption and how the common man is again being used as bait for far-fetched dreams of a better city life," says the traffic expert, who has 45 years of experience in transport and traffic management.
The TenderSure project that promised to get ‘urban roads right,’ discourage use of private transport and provide pedestrian-friendly footpaths has no praise from him as he feels it does nothing but inconvenience the daily commuter. "How do you commute?” he asks pointedly and then continues, "We are all travelling by private transport and have nothing to do with the widened footpaths of Cunningham Road."
The expert, who has been vocal about the city's never ending traffic troubles, doesn’t mince his words now either . "Footpath widening is not a traffic management scheme. Secondly, the job should be done in a more scientific and rational manner. Providing service utilities, but unscrupulously widening footpaths is unscientific. Don't they know this already?" he asks
The reported ambition of Jana Urban Space Foundation (JUSP) to design the TenderSURE project based on various criteria like proximity to the Metro, bus and railway stations, and link the existing and ongoing TenderSure roads to create a grid-like network of roads leaves him unmoved.
"If people want to use the Metro let them, but why at the cost of commuters? Where are the pedestrians on these roads? They should have made footpaths in residential areas. That is where the real issue is as people need to walk in these parts for about one or two kilometers. Why can't you at least make footpaths there?” he asks frustratedly.
"The widening should be based on the volume of traffic. Now the already congested roads are going to be further congested as they have not done any study. Even the simple volume capacity ratio has not been looked into," he adds. "Someone should be made answerable for this. It is their last opportunity to make money and they are leaving no stone unturned to do that," he laughs sarcastically.
“Footpaths are required. But let them provide them in residential areas where people need to walk. Want to make money? Then do it in these areas. My 45 years of experience in traffic management tells me something is fishy," he sums up.
