Cabinet defers decision on elevated corridors

While the Cabinet made several decisions on the city and the state, it authorised Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy to take a call on the elevated corridor.

Kumaraswamy made budgetary provisions for the elevated corridors this year, but the project has been severely criticised by city residents.

Government sources said issues are still to be ironed out since the CM’s brother HD Revanna is the PWD minister and G Parameshwara holds the Bengaluru Development portfolio.

They said the 96-kilometre elevator corridor project is coinciding with other works in many places.

“There’re flyovers, underpasses and other projects taken up by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and even the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL). So it has been decided that the project needed to be relooked,” sources added.

They also hinted that deferring the project is a safe move since the Lok Sabha polls are imminent. “The government doesn’t want to strike the wrong cord with people even in the name of development,” they added.

The link at Hebbal flyover and Central Silk Board were an important factor in the decision, the source added.

‘Detailed study needed’

“The elevator corridor was coming in the way of the Hebbal flyover widening and plans of metro rail to the airport. So, it was decided that a detailed study had to be conducted. BMRCL has been authorised to take the help of the engineering consultancy company Rites Limited to prepare a detailed project,” the source said, underlining the need to integrate the elevated corridor project to others.