Steel Flyover Spells Disaster for Bengaluru, But Govt Won’t Listen

The state will spend crores of public money on a project Bengaluru is strongly opposed to. What is it playing at?

The city’s diminishing tree cover will have to bear the brunt of the project. (Photo Courtesy: Facebook/ Namma Bengaluru Foundation)

On Monday, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah fired a salvo against Bengaluru’s citizens: The steel flyover project against which they have been protesting will not be scrapped.

The Rs 1,791 crore construction project, which will supposedly make the commute to the traffic-afflicted city’s international airport shorter, doesn’t bode well for the city at large. The project will have a devastating impact on the city’s already dwindling tree cover; it will mean the felling of at least 800 trees.

Angry citizens are demanding the development of efficient public transport instead of the flyover, which promises to be an eyesore.

The government insists it has the public’s approval, but the fact remains that only 299 people responded to a government-sanctioned public consultation. In a city that is home to over 8 million people, a sample size of 299 is laughable. So what is the government really up to?

Also Read: B’luru Govt, Finish These Flyovers Before Planning a Steel One