Residents protest road widening

Proposed six-lane corridor entails felling of about 150 trees

The Sankey Tank park near Malleswaram 18th Cross was flooded with posters and banners underlining the impact of the proposed project. The widening entails felling of about 150 trees on both sides of the stretch, besides occupying a good portion of the historic tank.

The protesters - members of seven different organisations came under an umbrella body - Save Sankey Road and Tank Forum apprehended that the project would destroy the beauty of one of the posh localities of the City.

Later, addressing the gathering, the office-bearer of the Forum, Dr Rajan said people from all walks of life have come together to save Sankey Road and Park.

 He called upon people to participate in the movement to oppose the road widening project as it would adversely affect the biodiversity in and around the Sankey Tank.

He said the six-lane road from Cauvery Theatre junction to Yeshwanthapur lacks an integrated plan. The road will be 30 meters wide up to the CNR Rao Circle and thereafter 45 meters up to Yeshwanthapur,  said Dr Rajan.

Rationale questioned

He questioned the rationale of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike in constructing a six-lane high-speed corridor in a residential area and sought to know whether pedestrians’ safety has been factored in while designing the project plan.

Dr Rajan said the Forum had sought Detailed Project Report from BBMP under Right to Information Act and nothing has been heard even after lapse of three weeks.

Not a solution

Dr Meenakshi Bharath said tree-felling should not be a solution to avoid traffic jams. Tree-feeling would lead to ecological imbalance in the surrounding areas.

Efforts to meet officials too proved futile as they did not bother to give time to meet the  Forum members and the residents of Sadashivanagar, Vyalikaval, Malleswaram had no other option but to stage a protest. Following the efforts of Corporator Shivaprasad to break the ice BBMP chief engineer Chikkarayappa, after much persuasion, agreed to meet the aggrieved residents. The residents are also exploring legal options as well.