Is the steel flyover the only way to ensure a hassle-free drive from the City centre to the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA)? No, the alternatives available are not being pushed with the same intensity, allege many in the government and BBMP circles.
For instance, the planners turned a blind eye to another nine-lane Hennur-Bagalur Road via Kannur, which minimises the journey from the City to KIA by almost 20 km for citizens living in East and North Bengaluru.
Opposition leader in the BBMP Council, Padmanabha Reddy alleges that BBMP and officials of various government departments have ensured that the alternate route from Hennur-Bagalur is blocked to benefit the Navayuga Group, which has developed the tolled Ballari road.
BBMP, he points out, had given Transferable Development Rights (TDR) worth Rs 320 crore for 110 acres and had spent Rs 73 crore to build the road.
Besides, the Rs 393 crore spent on the alternative road has simply gone down the drain only because of a few greedy officials who are conniving with the infrastructure company. “All that is required is to open the blocked Hennur-Bagalur Road by opening a small portion of the airport compound wall. This, the officials are not doing,” said Reddy.
Spending Rs 1,350 crore on the flyover, he says, is a criminal waste of public money. “A little investment on the Hennur-Bagalur Road will be more than enough to provide a hassle-free journey to the airport instead of Rs 1,350 crore worth structure,” says Reddy.
Echoing a point made by several urban infrastructure experts, Reddy notes that KIA can now be accessed only by one route although all major cities across the world have at least two. Isn’t this a deliberate ploy to favour projects such as the steel flyover, wonder many.
Published 11 June 2016, 20:26 IST