Platform to oppose road widening soon

The BBMP’s plan to widen roads including those which would be converted into signal-free corridors has sent property owners into a tizzy. The move has already triggered much heartburn in the City with the property-losers opposing many infra-structure projects.

Residents of  Tannery Road, Kogilu cross and Sankey Road have already staged public demonstrations against road widening. On Sunday, around 1,000 people came together to register their opposition to the project at Vivekananda College junction on Dr Rajkumar Road.

According to the BBMP sources, the projects would claim around 37,000 private properties, affecting 1.25 lakh to 1.5 lakh people. The most painful part of the whole episode is that the BBMP would not pay any compensation to the affected people but would offer Transfer of Developmental Rights (TDR) whose utility is quite doubtful.
Now, the affected people and those worried with the loss of greenery in the city due to the projects have joined hands to set up a platform to resist the project at all possible levels and ways. An outfit called Sama- rpana has extended its support for constituting the forum.

Samarpana was one among the eight outfits which protested the widening of Dr Rajkumar Road on Sunday. Other organisations which backed the protest were Citizens’ Action  Forum, Hasiru Usiru, Tannery Road Residents’ Forum, Save Bangalore, Hosur Road Association, JP Nagar Residents Forum and Environment Support Group.

The director of Samarpana, Shivakumar Hosamani said most of the road widening projects are unwarranted and need to be scrapped. He said there is need to exert pressure on the government to withdraw some road-widening projects.

The idea of forming an umbrella organisation for all the associations fighting against the road widening project across Bangalore took shape when people gathered at the Sankey Park a month ago. The city may see vehement protests by the people in the coming days once the new organisation comes into being. Hosamani said people interested in joining the forum can contact him on his cell phone number 9980008074 or on email id, [e-mail]
DH News Service