Around 2,000 students from Malleswaram, Vyalikaval and Sadashivnagar have sent handwritten postcards to Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai opposing the proposed widening of Sankey Tank Bund Road and flyover from T. Chowdaiah Road to 18th Cross.
Addressing the Chief Minister as ‘Bommai uncle’ in the letter, students urged him to protect their schools from the proposed ‘Sankey flyover’.
Citizens For Sankey, a residents’ organisation, said, “Children will run the risk of various health issues if the construction site is next door. Construction work is known to emit fine particulate matter such as PM 2.5 and PM 10. These particles can easily enter the respiratory tract and move into the bloodstream, causing health issues, experts say.”
Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) recently revived the project of widening the road and to build a 560-metre-long, four-lane flyover by inviting bids. Several residents of Sadashivnagar and Malleswaram have submitted a formal written request to the BBMP chief commissioner to put the project on hold, make the Detailed Project Report (DPR) public and organise a public consultation before taking up the project. The residents have also started an online petition.
According to a statement by Citizens For Sankey: “The Sankey flyover will necessitate acquiring a portion of one school (Stella Maris). The flyover will be built at the spot where the children assemble in the morning, play games and have lunch. The BDA owns a small portion of land bordering the school where the storm water drain pipes run, but the remaining area needed for the flyover is the school’s property. Another nearby school — Poorna Prajna School — too will be affected as the service road of the Sankey flyover will fall within 100 metres of the road that students use daily to cross from the school to their playground. Residents are worried about the safety of the students.
“The Sankey flyover will be built inside this space in Stella Maris School. This is part of the school, and used by over 2,000 students for learning and other activities. Red markings have been made by the BBMP to show the area where the flyover will be built. The school has not received any official notification about this despite the fact that the project DPR is complete and the tendering process is under way.”
The Sankey flyover proposal has drawn criticism from many residents. A citizen-led petition has garnered over 17,000 signatures in two weeks.
Bengaluru traffic police underpass at the Cauvery Theatre junction, to decongest the road to the airport by changing the flow of traffic, in Bengaluru on May 28, 2016.  Photo: . | Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar
K.R. Iyer, a resident, said “The main traffic issue here is the Cauvery theatre underpass. The Sankey flyover does not address this. The flyover will simply move traffic to that underpass faster, causing a worse jam on the flyover. This does not solve any of our traffic problems; it will only make traffic worse, in addition to loss of trees and footpaths. We do not want our area destroyed like many others have been.”
Satya Arikutharam, an urban mobility expert, said, “Sadly, widening roads to reduce traffic congestion is one of the enduring myths that needs to be called out urgently. Please stop the Sankey flyover scheme.”
