Activists and residents staged a protest here on Sunday demanding action from the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on the issue of widening of Jayamahal and Bellary roads.
Nearly 100 people took part in the protest at Mehkri Circle to express anger against the BBMP for not keeping its promise of holding discussions with the group on the project. The group, consisting of residents and activists from Wild Forever Foundation, Hasiru Usiru and Save Bangalore Committee, had, in November 2010, staged a protest against the road-widening project and the resultant mass felling of trees.
They met H. Ravindra, chairman of the BBMP's standing committee on major works, who promised to hold discussions in December where people would be given an opportunity to air their concerns. As he had failed to do so, the activists staged the protest on Sunday to remind the BBMP of his promise.
Environmentalist Suresh Heblikar alleged that the motive behind the project was to cater to the section of people that frequents the Bangalore International Airport. He said that this was being done at the expense of over a 1,000 trees. The activists pointed out that the saplings that were being planted as compensation for the loss of trees were going to take nearly 20 years to grow.
The risk that the road-widening project will cause to pedestrians was also discussed. The BBMP's plans to construct skywalks and pedestrian underpasses for a one-kilometre stretch is not feasible as the elderly, children, differently-abled and pregnant women would not be able to use these facilities, they said. The group now plans to submit a memorandum to Mayor S.K. Nataraj and decided to continue the struggle till the project was dropped.
