Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said on Friday that his ministry would soon get a technical study done to build a Skybus system in Bengaluru. He stressed that a mass rapid transport system (MSRT) was the only solution for decongesting the city.
Speaking to the media at the end of the two-day ‘Manthan’ summit organised in the IT capital of the country, Gadkari talked about the challenges of vehicular population and infrastructure projects that were needed for decongestion.
“I held discussions with Chief Minister (Basavaraj) Bommai… I have suggested (to) him to explore the Skybus technology on the lines of the Philippines to provide MSRT in the city. Indian consultancy companies may not be able to come up with a feasibility report. There are two companies, one in France and another in Austria, who are capable of it. We will help the state government by getting a report done in the next three months,” the minister said.
Trolley buses for Bengaluru?
Gadkari also said that the state government should explore the idea of trolley buses, which draw power from overhead wires. “Unlike battery-powered e-buses, trolley buses cost just Rs 50 to 60 lakh (per bus) and can seat 88 people. It’s a cost-effective solution that you need to explore. We need to make public transport comfortable and cost-effective for the people,” he said.
The union minister said he advised Karnataka chief minister to set up an authority to manage city development, with regard to its traffic. “Bengaluru is as important as the capital of the country. But it requires one authority which can coordinate with everyone to plan the city’s development,” the minister said.
Multi-tier flyovers on NH in the city
Stating that widening the national highways (NH) within the city limits was impractical due to the prohibitive cost of land acquisition, Gadkari said his ministry would come up with two or three-tier flyovers to help the state government decongest the state capital’s roads.
“We will not acquire land inside the city. Instead, we will construct three-storey flyovers on the existing road, which can accommodate two road flyovers as well as a metro line. However, this is a solution for NH roads, not state or city roads,” he said.
The minister also admitted that inconvenience was caused to the public due to the current situation on the Tumkur Road flyover, where a weak cable bridge led to heavy vehicles being restricted from accessing the road.
He said the contractor for the project was not able to take up the repair. The NHAI awarded Rs 15-lakh work to another contractor. The flyover will be ready soon, he said.