Ejipura flyover stalled, traffic woes continue

Y. Maheswara Reddy | NT

Bengaluru: Here is bad news for hapless motorists who are struggling to commute between Ejipura Junction and Kendriya Sadan. They may have to wait for some more time to commute on this 2.5-km stretch without any hassles as the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is all set to terminate the contract awarded to a Kolkata-based firm for construction of the flyover.

Residents have been complaining about the slow progress of construction work. Recently, BTM Layout MLA Ramalinga Reddy had led a protest against the delay in completing the construction of the flyover.

“The BBMP authorities are mulling terminating the contract signed with the Kolkatabased company. It is disappointing to note that the contractor could not complete the work as per the agreement. I think the BBMP may float a short term tender to complete the pending work,’’ said Ramalinga Reddy.

The residents of Ejipura and adjoining areas have complained that the delay is causing a lot of problems for them. They said that it has become tough for them to commute on this road during peak hours to reach Hosur Road or Sarjapur Road.

“I am fed up with the delay in completing the work. The elected representatives have done nothing till date except organize protests. I hope the BBMP authorities direct the contractor to expedite the construction work,’’ said Sunil Achar, a resident of Koramangala.

Expressing a similar opinion, Dr Radhakrishna, a resident of Koramangala, said the BBMP authorities did not have a proper plan to mitigate traffic woes between Ejipura Junction and Kendriya Sadan. “The stretch between Kendriya Sadan and Hosur Road is very narrow.

Without widening this stretch, the construction of the flyover will not serve the purpose. There will be traffic chaos if the BBMP authorities fail to widen this road,’’ said Dr Radhakrishna.

The construction of the flyover began in May 2017 and it was supposed to be completed in 30 months (by October 2019) but only 45 per cent of the work is completed even 26 months after the deadline. “We are not happy with the slow progress of the work. We are contemplating other methods to expedite the construction. We may terminate the contract with the Kolkata-based company and float a tender for completing the pending work,’’ said a BBMP top official. According to reliable sources, the BBMP had already released Rs 32 crore to the contractor. They said the construction work had gained momentum for a while but again slowed down.