Sankey Road widening, flyover to claim 40 trees

Around 40 full-grown, decades-old trees in the heart of Malleswaram will be removed to widen Sankey Tank Bund Road and build a flyover from T Chowdiah Road to 18th Cross, the BBMP says.

The civic body has revived the controversial project of widening the 1.1-km road between Bhashyam Circle and Malleswaram 18th Cross. At the same time, it wants to build a 560-metre-long, four-lane flyover along the busy road that links central and northern Bengaluru with 7.5 m carriageways on either side of the median. It has invited tenders.

While local residents have opposed the axing of trees, environmental experts have warned of "a serious ecological impact", saying the tank bund will weaken because of tree-cutting.

"The road is only 15-18 metres wide. Many a time, two cars can't pass at a time. To reduce congestion, we have decided to widen the road to 24 metres," a senior BBMP official said.

Locals and environmental activists said felling trees close to the bund could have serious ecological implications.

"The approval for the construction of Sankey Road on the bund is a violation by itself. Now, losing 40 trees to further widen it will have serious implications for the environment," Professor T V Ramachandra of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) said. "The project has not been planned with environmental aspects in mind."

Rekha Chari, president of the Malleswaram Swabhimana Initiative, who works for promoting a cleaner environment, said Sankey Tank gets filled to the brim during heavy rains and at times it has almost breached. "In such a situation, if we remove the green cover further, won't the lake bund weaken as the soil loosens with the loss of tree cover? This will cause more harm than good," she added.

Though BBMP officials plan to translocate the trees, residents are not convinced.

"This is a tank bund road unlike any other normal road and requires a different approach. This is one of the oldest roads with trees that are 80-100 years old. The project will only destroy the green heritage and Sankey Road will lose the environmental character it carries," said Dr Rajan, a resident of the area who had opposed the project back in 2011.

Yet another resident said the BBMP project was only a short-term solution.

"The real problem is that the city is growing and the vehicle density is increasing exponentially. In this situation, widening the road will only help reduce congestion for the next three to four years," said Sharath Krishnamurthy, who has lived in the area for close to 16 years.

Residents also expressed concern that the flyover could restrict free pedestrian movement and urged the authorities to look at alternatives.

"The government should look at ways of incentivising public transport and other alternatives available instead of promoting such projects. The authorities can also plan a deviation through C N R Rao Road and Ballari Road," Dr Rajan suggested.

In 2011, when the project was first proposed, there was widespread agitation by local residents who approached the high court. However, the court ruled in favour of the BBMP, allowing the project to be implemented.