Bengaluru Development Minister KJ George on Thursday said that the steel flyover project has been shelved. The 7 km-long flyover would not be constructed in the city. The state government had planned to build the steel bridge between Basaveshwara circle and Hebbal to avoid road congestion and make it easy for people to travel to the airport.
The shelving of the steel flyover project comes as a huge victory for the citizens of Bengaluru who had been protesting consistently against it.
Priya Chetty Rajagopal, the executive director - leadership and board practice at RGF Executive Search, told International Business Times India: "It's an important victory since the decision by the Karnataka government is a deep reflection in pragmatism. The decision has come late but I am glad that it has. It is like the government saying that 'it's our people' and 'it's our voices' and 'we're listening to you'."
Chetty added: "The decision is a symbolic one since it has moved from building a steel flyover in the city to building a bridge between the government and its citizens. I am grateful to the citizens for investing so much of their energy and effort into the campaign."
Chetty also emphasised that there is a sense of "greyness" among the citizens of Bengaluru on how much has already been lost. "We have waited for so long (for the project to be shelved). Honestly, there is a level of exhaustion and a sense of how much of resources and intelligence has been wasted. But I'm glad that the voices of citizens were finally heard by the Karnataka government."
Citizens and activists across Bengaluru had been protesting against the construction of the flyover since October 2016. Protests were staged across the city against the huge amount of money involved, estimated at Rs 1,800 crore, as well as the lack of planning in the project that was said to require cutting of over 800 trees. A group called Citizens for Bengaluru had also considered taking legal action against the construction of the flyover. Many also took to the streets forming human chains to express disapproval for the construction of the flyover.
The Karnataka High Court had put the project on hold in November 2016 after the Namma Bengaluru Foundation (NBF) filed a petition questioning the constitutionality of the project. Before this, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had also imposed a four-week stay in October 2016 while hearing a separate plea on its environmental impact.
The state government had provided details of the project plan as well, citing the traffic congestion at major intersections. It added that the budget for the flyover would include not just the steel structure, but also the main flyover, up and down ramps, three underpasses, surface level road, drainage system, illumination and traffic safety appurtenances.
The plan had also assured people that none of the heritage buildings and other important buildings in the area, including Carlton House, Balabrooie Guest House, Vidhana Soudha and Raj Bhavan, will be destroyed. The civic body of Bengaluru had also said that it would plant 60,000 saplings for the 812 trees that will be cut for the project.
However, activists had still objected to the construction of the steel bridge saying that it lacked transparency and that the plan does not highlight how it would solve the current problem.
