The government has diverted Rs 99 crore allotted to build two flyovers in Ittamadu junction and Sarakki signal to carryout 35 minor works.
In a rare move ahead of the Assembly elections, it approved the change of works on the request of Padmanabha Nagar MLA R Ashoka.
The Rs 99-crore allocation was part of the Rs 170 crore sanctioned last June to build flyovers at Sarakki junction and Ittamadu junction. The plan was welcomed as the two junctions had been a major bottleneck for South Bengaluru residents commuting to the eastern and northern parts of the city.
In a March 13 order, the Urban Development Department (UDD) diverted a little more than Rs 99 crore for minor works in Padmanabha Nagar and Rs 30 crore to build a circular skywalk at the Banashankari junction.
The order also said the state government will not fund the integrated flyover-corridor on the above-mentioned stretch, passing the financial burden onto the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) that needs funds for the still-to-be-approved Phase III project (JP Nagar and Kempapura, near Hebbal) and an elevated road at Sarakki and Ittamadu.
Residents of the area say the works proposed are “unnecessary.”
Padmanabha Nagar resident Bharath Narayan pondered as to why works that could be accomplished with a few lakhs require an allocation of over Rs 1 crore per project.
“The BBMP has been splurging funds on the same set of works that bring no major difference to the area,” he said.
The decision to re-appropriate funds has faced opposition within the party, as some BJP leaders have raised concerns about the allocation of Rs 99.5 crore, given that the Padmanabha Nagar constituency had already received Rs 200 crore recently.
‘Budget’s integrity lost’
Urbanist Ashwin Mahesh said the government is making the integrity of the budget questionable by diverting funds meant for flyovers to non-mobility works.
“The government should invest the funds on improving pedestrian infrastructure,” Mahesh said.
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