Online petition launched against flyover project

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru; A handful of Bengaluru residents have initiated an online campaign against Sankey road widening and construction of a flyover from Bashyam circle to Malleshwaram 18th cross along the same road.

The petition claims that over 50 heritage trees, which have been there for decades, would have to be axed for the purpose. It also alleged that the project would not help ease traffic congestion but would merely shift the point of the bottle neck.

Since the project also includes removal of pavements designated for pedestrians, it would significantly reduce the walkability in the area, it noted. The road-widening project on Sankey Road was proposed by Deputy Chief Minister CN Ashwath Narayan, who represents the Malleshwaram Assembly constituency, close to 10 years ago. It has received criticism since then by activists and locals.

“The flyover plan is yet another example of ad hoc planning,” the petition said, adding that it directly violates provisions of the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) for Bengaluru issued by the Karnataka government in 2020. The petition pointed out that public consultation was not taken before the project was decided, nor the details of the project have been shared in the public domain.

Deeming the project "poorly planned", the petition urged the civic agency BBMP to roll back the flyover project and look at other alternatives, such as creating a system of robust public transport through the newly passed Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA).

They urged the authorities to look at sustainable solutions instead of churning baseless infrastructure developments that would only prove to be effective for short durations and postpone the real problem.