'Houses will be razed for Tagore Circle underpass'

Many residential properties along with a good portion of M N Krishna Rao Park would be razed for the Tagore Circle Underpass, claimed senior Congress leader B K Chandrashekhar.

He was addressing a press conference on Sunday at Basavanagudi. Quoting extracts from the detailed project report of the infrastructure project, he said many residential buildings along the proposed Tagore Circle underpass will have to go. He also referred to a traffic survey done by Challakere Management Consultants in Basavanagudi, which says, “The maximum traffic flow on K R Road on Monday, September 20, 2009 was observed to be 2,369 Passenger Car Units per hour, which was between 11 am to 12 noon.” The survey was done by C R Gopinath, the retired Deputy General Manager (Industrial Engineering) of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. He claimed that to his knowledge the BBMP did not consult the Additional Commissioner of Police (traffic) before starting the project.

“The whole intention of the BBMP is clear from the fact that the work was started stealthily at midnight because there would be no protest in the night,” said  Chandrashekar.

In a strongly-worded criticism, Chandrashekar said, “I am sorry to say that Bharat Lal Meena has sacrificed his credibility and BBMP has lost its accountability through the Tagore Circle Underpass. When he (Meena) took over, he said he would present a new model of Basavanagudi but I would like to tell him that Basavanagudi requires no models. Let it be the traditional Basavanagudi.”

Traffic advisor to government M N Srihari, who was also present there said all the data given by the BBMP are faulty and bogus. “I and the professors of the Indian Institute of Science were consulted only after the roads were dug up and the controversy erupted. My   advice is that the BBMP should fill up the trench it has dug to make the underpass,” said  Srihari.

Chandrashekar declared later that he would launch a strong movement if the project is not dropped.