By Esther Esha
Bengaluru, March 14. 2019
The citizens of Bengaluru are apparently NOT in favour of the Elevated Corridor Project. Around one lakh online petitions are already filed against it.
The Bangaloreans are against the idea of the steel flyover near the airport. The petition has been passed now and a protest will be held on Saturday, March 16 at 10 a.m by the citizens of Bengaluru, starting from the Mahatma Gandhi Statue at Maurya Junction.
To even consider the project, the first demand by the activists requested a public comprehensive report on mobility in Bengaluru incorporating expansions in the road network, suburban rail, and metro.
The second request was a consideration of the provisions for road-based public transport, cyclists, and pedestrians while planning for the elevated road system. Thirdly, a detailed project report and feasibility studies, including alternatives considered.
And lastly, taking steps to build support for a truly multi-modal transport and mobility solution for Bengaluru.
Naresh Narasimhan, an architect, said: “there are two ways to destroy a city, one is using a nuclear bomb, and the other is the elevated roads.”
“If the project is successfully achieved, the whole culture of the city will be changed. The government said there will be the loss of 3,500 trees due to this elevation; however, I’m sure many more will be cut down. Each of us should adopt a tree and take care of it as our child and only then, the trees will be safe. It is legally permissible.”
Around 40 percent of the vehicles used in the city are two-wheeler, which is the reason for the pollution and cutting down of trees will make it worse.
What is the need for the elevated corridor when the public can use the metro? Said Srikanth Narasimhan, a representative of 400 hundred apartments’ residents across Bengaluru.
Priya Chetty Rajagopal said “We all spent the time to understand both sides of the picture. The scale of this project is so huge, and we won’t be able to see this Bangalore that we know again. From the beginning, we have been lacking in the planning process.”
