Suspension of officer costs citizens
Commuters have to pay toll for a longer time as an alternative road to BIA is delayed
Work on the BBMP’s ambitious six-lane road from Hennur to the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA), which was 85 per cent complete, has taken a backseat with the suspension of one of its executive engineers.
This means Bangaloreans will have to wait longer to use the “toll-free” road to get to the airport, with the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) having received the Centre’s nod to levy toll on NH-7, just before the trumpet flyover leading to the airport.
Suspension of BBMP Executive Engineer-Projects (Yelahanka) B S Prahalad on January 23, just two days after the BBMP had met BIAL officials with its proposal seeking an entry point towards the eastern side of the airport, has stalled the dialogue between the two entities.
Prahalad, suspended for diverting funds, was completely in charge of this project and was also responsible for the negotiations with BIAL. P S Ramesh, who has taken charge of the project and negotiations on March 3 is clueless, as admitted by himself.
Speaking to Deccan Herald, Ramesh said: “It has just been a month since I took charge and I do not know when we’ll meet them (BIAL officials) next. We’ll see how this can be taken forward.” The estimated cost of the project is Rs 46 crore, of which the Palike has already spent over Rs 33 crore.
The proposed road will connect East Bangalore –– from White Field, K R Puram, Indiranagar leading up to Hennur Ring Road junction –– to the airport through Bagalur and Mailanahalli, where the BBMP wants BIAL to bring down its compound and create the second entry point to the airport.
The road through Bagalur, Kanoor, Chagalatha, Mailanahalli would cut the distance to the airport by more than 10 km, BBMP Major Works Standing Committee Chairman Ravindra had said, adding that the location at which the Palike is seeking an additional entry is already used by the contract labourers working at the airport.
After the first meeting, the BIAL had decided to set up a joint committee to conduct a feasibility study. BBMP officials had said the entry point has to be incorporated into BIAL’s master plan that has been prepared for the expansion and building of a second runway and has to comply with all the security requirements of the airport.
However, with Prahalad’s suspension, there has been no urgency by the BBMP to take the matter forward and another senior official said: “We will ‘probably’ have a meeting in the coming month.”
