The ambitious and controversial 102-km-long elevated corridor will pave over tree-lined avenues, parks and lakes, come within touching distance of one of the city’s most prominent historical monuments, and even fly over Namma Metro lines and existing flyovers.
In the presentation made before the Chief Minister, other Ministers and officials, the project proponent, Karnataka Road Development Corporation Ltd. (KRDCL), has listed out the “critical issues” connected with the seven corridors.
The most obvious damage will be to the tree-lined avenues that once added to Bengaluru’s moniker of Garden City. The largest of the corridors — North South-1, which goes from Hebbal to Silk Board Junction through the Central Business District (CBD) — will see the broad canopies covering the stretch from Mehkri Circle to Jayamahal Palace, Minsk Square to M.G. Road, and Vittal Mallya Road coming under the chopping block. Trees on Old Airport Road, between Mehkri Circle and Yeshwantpur, which derives its green cover from the Indian Institute of Science, Raja Ram Mohan Roy Road, and even Coles Park will make way for the elevated concrete structure.
Issues flagged
“Integration” with Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) is among the issues flagged. For instance, one corridor is proposed over the existing metro line and on-the-road stations of Yeshwantpur and Goraguntepalya. Other corridors will cross S.V. Road station and the proposed metro lines along the Outer Ring Road at Marathahalli and Silk Board Junction. “It may technically be possible, but there are so many issues of safety, space and curtailing of commuter movement,” said a BMRCL official.
One of the corridors is proposed to come up right next to Tipu Sultan’s Summer Palace, and the KRDCL notes an issue with “permissions from Archaeological Survey of India”.
It was only earlier this year that the Lok Sabha passed a bill that removed the blanket prohibition on construction within 100 m of ASI-protected monuments. However, these projects will have to go through strict scrutiny to see if they might damage the monuments.
Similarly, a connecting corridor will require the acquisition of Banaswadi lake land.
Srinivas Alavilli of Citizens for Bengaluru said the project was a blot on the city, with the end result being a dug-up city and more cars on the road. “We will continue to oppose road projects because all they do is encourage more cars to come on to the road. It is this sort of road-centric thinking, instead of focussing on multi-modal public transport, that has got us into this mess,” he said.
