Civic agencies chalk out plan to reduce traffic congestion

Following Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s instructions to take measures to decongest traffic across Bengaluru, representatives of various government agencies held a coordination meeting on Monday.

"The basic purpose of the meeting was to understand the issues which are holding up the traffic at various junctions in the city. We were able to pin down a few major problems such as bad road conditions and waterlogging," said Rakesh Singh, Additional Chief Secretary (Urban Development Department).

BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath said the agencies had discussed various short- and long-term plans that could help solve traffic woes.

"Short-term plans will soon be implemented, say in the next week or 15 days. For long-term solutions, we will make sure tenders are prepared and approved soon. We could solve up to 20% of the problems by making a few small changes. We will ensure we work towards it," he said.

He added that the Bengaluru traffic police had also identified 54 spots where the road condition was bad, affecting the vehicular movement.

"We will make sure these spots are repaired. We have also asked for a detailed list of potholes from the traffic police. Once we get those, we will recheck and ensure they are also filled," Girinath said.

Singh said they had chalked down an action plan and the responsibilities of various agencies had been discussed. "For instance, the BBMP and the BDA will come up with a timeline to improve road conditions and fill potholes in their jurisdiction. The traffic police will ensure they deploy additional personnel to manage traffic during peak hours. The BMTC will ensure their buses follow the traffic norms and are not parked randomly causing inconvenience," Singh said.

Girinath added that the officials would inspect the Silk Board, KR Puram and Hebbal junctions at 11 pm on Tuesday.

The meeting which was chaired by Additional Chief Secretary Dr Rajneesh Goel had representatives from the BWSSB, the KSRTC, the BMTC, the BMRCL and the Bengaluru police.