The battle between the government and civic activists over the controversial steel flyover is set to get fiercer with chief minister Siddaramaiah on Monday declaring the Rs 1,791-crore project will be constructed.
The government's decision to go ahead with the project calling it an infrastructure necessity has drawn a fresh round of fire from urban experts and activists, who termed the stand obdurate.
On Sunday, about 10,000 citizens forged a human chain to protest the flyover that is set to come up between Basa veshwara Circle and Hebbal.
The project has raised the hackles of activists over the lack of transparency and prohibitive construction cost.
After inspecting alternative routes to the airport, the chief minister told reporters: "When the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) opened the window for a public consultation on the steel flyover project, it received 299 responses. At least 73% were in favour of the project. Suggestions are welcome, but the project is finalised. Allegations that we are rushing the project are unfounded. I announced the project in the 2014 budget."
The CM acknowledged the protest on Sunday and said: "We want to address the traffic problem, which is bound to worsen in the coming days. This project will ease commuters' traffic woes." Admitting that the window for filing public responses during BDA consultation was just 48 hours, the CM said: "It is wrong to say we haven't elicited public open ion before approving the project. A few people (the opposition parties) are falsely accusing of not listening to the public. Even the Karnataka high court has no granted any interim relief in a PIL filed by Namma Bengaluru Foundation."
That the government will not reverse its decision on the flyover project was evident when the CM countered every point the citizens raised during Sunday protest. "Prove the kickbacks (charge). Everything about the project is transparent. We are a transparent government. The project cost has shot up because VAT on steel has increased from 5% two years ago to 14% now," Siddaramaiah said. He said the KIA road sees a high-density traffic with many choke points, and the steel flyover will remove these bottlenecks. The CM said: "The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike surveyed the stretch in 2010 and asked STUP Consultants (a project-delivery consultancy company) to prepare a plan. The flyover plan was transferred to the BDA the same year. The project is not new. After going through the global tendering process, it was awarded to the lowest bidders -L&T and Navayuga Engineering Corporation.These are reputable infrastructure companies."
Reaching out to the green constituency, the CM said he was concerned about the environmental impact caused by the cutting of trees. "Trees around the city are being axed to make footpaths, flyovers and build Metro link. I am equally concerned about Bengaluru's weather. That's why the BBMP has planted 10 lakh saplings in the previous financial year. We will do our best to restore the city's green quotient," he added.
The government's decision to go ahead with the project calling it an infrastructure necessity has drawn a fresh round of fire from urban experts and activists, who termed the stand obdurate.
On Sunday, about 10,000 citizens forged a human chain to protest the flyover that is set to come up between Basa veshwara Circle and Hebbal.
The project has raised the hackles of activists over the lack of transparency and prohibitive construction cost.
After inspecting alternative routes to the airport, the chief minister told reporters: "When the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) opened the window for a public consultation on the steel flyover project, it received 299 responses. At least 73% were in favour of the project. Suggestions are welcome, but the project is finalised. Allegations that we are rushing the project are unfounded. I announced the project in the 2014 budget."
The CM acknowledged the protest on Sunday and said: "We want to address the traffic problem, which is bound to worsen in the coming days. This project will ease commuters' traffic woes." Admitting that the window for filing public responses during BDA consultation was just 48 hours, the CM said: "It is wrong to say we haven't elicited public open ion before approving the project. A few people (the opposition parties) are falsely accusing of not listening to the public. Even the Karnataka high court has no granted any interim relief in a PIL filed by Namma Bengaluru Foundation."
That the government will not reverse its decision on the flyover project was evident when the CM countered every point the citizens raised during Sunday protest. "Prove the kickbacks (charge). Everything about the project is transparent. We are a transparent government. The project cost has shot up because VAT on steel has increased from 5% two years ago to 14% now," Siddaramaiah said. He said the KIA road sees a high-density traffic with many choke points, and the steel flyover will remove these bottlenecks. The CM said: "The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike surveyed the stretch in 2010 and asked STUP Consultants (a project-delivery consultancy company) to prepare a plan. The flyover plan was transferred to the BDA the same year. The project is not new. After going through the global tendering process, it was awarded to the lowest bidders -L&T and Navayuga Engineering Corporation.These are reputable infrastructure companies."
Reaching out to the green constituency, the CM said he was concerned about the environmental impact caused by the cutting of trees. "Trees around the city are being axed to make footpaths, flyovers and build Metro link. I am equally concerned about Bengaluru's weather. That's why the BBMP has planted 10 lakh saplings in the previous financial year. We will do our best to restore the city's green quotient," he added.