BBMP plans 4 flyovers on stretch that saw protests

Bengaluru’s civic body is preparing to revive the controversial project of building flyovers between Basaveshwara Circle and Hebbal, a 6.7-km arterial road that’s as much known for its greenery as it is for its traffic snarls.

On Sunday, the BBMP floated a short-term tender seeking consulting services for preparing a feasibility report and Detailed Project Report (DPR) for building grade separators at Chalukya (Basaveshwara) Circle, Windsor Manor Junction, Cauvery Theatre Junction and Mehkri Circle.

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This is a deviation from normal practice, as separate tenders are usually called for the feasibility report and the DPR, which is a complex exercise and prepared only after the former is out.

The four traffic junctions link central and northern Bengaluru and also connect the Kempegowda International Airport.

A grade separator is a road crossing that uses a flyover or an underpass.

In March 2017, the Congress-led state government shelved the project to build a steel flyover from Basaveshwara Circle to Hebbal at a cost of Rs 1,691 crore by axing 2,244 trees following protests from citizen activists. The BJP, which was in the opposition, also opposed the project.

The new initiative is not different from the steel flyover project and comes months ahead of the Assembly polls in the state.

Recently, the civic body announced the third phase of the controversial white-topping project, which the BJP also had opposed when it was in opposition. The BBMP is currently without an elected council and is run by an administrator appointed by the state government.

As per the BBMP tender notification, tender proposals will be opened on October 29.

Mindful of past controversy, the BBMP is treading slowly and cautiously on the project.

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BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath said the feasibility study had delved into the volume of traffic at each of the four junctions and the interventions needed there. “All four junctions are almost always clogged. We are trying to figure out a solution by undertaking a traffic analysis study,” he said.

The BBMP has not finalised the plan, he added. “Once the reports are ready, we will approach the government for funds. The report will also study the feasibility of building a long flyover,” Girinath added.

Curiously, the congested stretch already has a small flyover (near Palace Guttahalli) and two underpasses (at Mehkri Circle and Cauvery junction).

Last month, the BBMP sought permission from the forest department to axe around 58 trees to widen the 600-metre stretch between Mehkri Circle and Cauvery Theatre. But a document published on the BBMP website marked 30 more trees till the Windsor Manor bridge and Palace Guttahalli as well as near Mehkri Circle. This indicated the civic body was up to something else.

Urbanist V Ravichandar said the BBMP should first study the feasibility of different projects. “Instead of preparing a feasibility report of building four flyovers, the BBMP must first do a socio-economic cost-benefit analysis of different modes of transport, including the metro,” he said.