Even as the City’s stakeholders sit down in discussion for widening roads to ease the traffic bottlenecks, a group of NGOs is set to host a public debate on the impact of the move. ‘Hasiru Usiru’, Environment Support Group, CIVIC Bangalore and Alternative Law Forum will organise the public consultation on the various road-widening schemes on December 20 at the Senate Hall, Central College.

The consultation will focus on the recent plans by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to undertake a major road widening scheme to accommodate the burgeoning traffic. It will cover concerns over the impact of the plan, including the felling of trees, impeding pedestrians’ rights and impact on pavement vendors.

Call for transparency 

The NGOs met the Chief Secretary P B Mahishi in October, seeking a more public and transparent process of decision-making with regard to the issue. A larger discussion with the Bangalore Metropolitan Land ransportation Authority (BMLTA) followed in late November.

According to the NGOs, the meeting failed to evolve concrete decisions, while debating on various globally tested traffic management methods.  Th- ursday’s public consultation is part of the groups’ initiative to disseminate more information on the scheme to the public and have them deliberate on its impact.

The programme will have two segments: display of road-widening scheme drawings (4 pm to 5 pm) and discussion on the scheme (5 pm to 7 pm). The Chief Secretary and members of the BMLTA are expected to participate in the consultation. Fors, details call  22441977/26531339.