Bengaluru speaks against steel flyover

Setting aside their weekend priorities, people turned up in large numbers and formed a human chain in the city on Sunday to say a big no to the steel flyover to Hebbal from Basaveshwara Circle.

Police said an estimated 8,000 people formed the 4.6-kilometre chain. People from different parts of the city like J P Nagar, Vijayanagar, Nagarbhavi, K R Puram, Bannerghatta Road, Whitefield, Hebbal, Basavanagudi, Bellandur, HSR Layout and Bommanahalli began congregating at Basaveshwara Circle right from daybreak.

The participants put up banners, posters, placards and drawing sheets with messages that conveyed their opposition to the Rs 1,791-crore flyover project, which, they believe, will ruin the green cover and aesthetics of their beloved city.

Children too participated enthusiastically, holding placards and raising slogans to oppose the axing of 812 trees on the flyover stretch. Cyclists were seen with messages not to pollute the city.

Though the campaign was mainly driven by the common man, BJP MP from Bangalore Central P C Mohan, BJP MLA S Suresh Kumar, Rajya Sabha Member Rajeev Chandrasekhar and Aam Aadmi Party workers also joined the chorus against the project.

The crowd was a mix of people from all sections of society, from daily wagers to middle-class employees. Some of the prominent personalities who participated included former Lokayukta Justice N Santosh Hegde, historian Ramachandra Guha, film personalities Prakash Belawadi and Arundhati Nag, architect Naresh Narasimhan, fitness expert Wanitha Ashok and environmentalist Suresh Heblikar.

Coming down heavily on the government, Guha said, “The plan for a steel flyover at its best is daft. There is a lot of secrecy shrouding the project. There is no transparency. Even the NHAI has objected to it, as reported in Deccan Herald.”

Justice Hegde dubbed the project obscene and impractical. “We have seen the effectiveness of the so-called magic box, which floods during the rain. I agree that there is a traffic problem, but let us sit and solve it.”

According to the police, the protest was particularly remarkable because it was litter-free. People took efforts to keep the 4.6-km stretch clean. There were collection points at Basaveshwara Circle, near the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) head office, Cauvery magic box and Mekhri Circle to gather and drop off posters and placards.

Fearing untoward incidents, police had made elaborate arrangements. Rifle-wielding Rapid Action Force soldiers were deployed at the chief minister’s residence and BDA head office, but the disciplined participants dispersed without a trace of chaos or protest.