<p>The government's resolve to go ahead with the elevated corridor project has forced citizen groups to step up their campaign. </p>.<p>Moving the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for the cancellation of the environmental clearance for the project, the groups are now pushing hard for public consultation as promised by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy. </p>.<p>Faced with an unprecedented citizen campaign and an online petition that garnered over three lakh signatures, the government put the controversial project on the backburner. But the clearance given by the State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority-Karnataka (SEIAA-K) indicated that the government was serious. </p>.<p>The citizen groups are clearly upset. They now want the chief minister to keep the promise he made after a massive public protest on March 16, 2019: That civil society groups, RWAs, bus passengers, traffic experts and all key stakeholders will be consulted before the project takes off. </p>.<p>The public consultation was to happen after the Lok Sabha elections. The project assessment, data, scientific reports, advantages and disadvantages were to be shared for feedback. "This gave us hope, and out of respect for his words, we did not continue the protests." </p>.<p>But now, the groups are convinced that the government is ploughing ahead with the project "in clear violation of various laws". A collective of over 55 groups has now decided to intensify protests and take necessary legal steps. </p>.<p>Before deciding the project, the government had to do a Social Impact Assessment (SIA). Instead, citizens spent over 500 volunteer hours to reveal this shocking statistic: 90% people along the North-South corridor alignment of Phase 1 are unaware of the EC project, and will be ambushed by its impact. </p>.<p>One of the volunteers for SIA, Ujwal K P, had this to say: "I usually surveyed the communities (vendors) that are going to get affected by the elevated corridor. Almost all the vendors I talked to are against the project as it will affect their livelihood. It is important to note that the government doesn't just serve the rich and the elite but the lower income/working class citizens, too." </p>.<p>For Priya Chetty-Rajagopal, an urban activist, the distinct departure from the process, the planned city development and the long-term focus were evident in the unseemly way the project was being rushed through. "Citizens' vigilance has been the biggest roadblock, but the politicians will now have to keep their word and demonstrate their focus on an inclusive sustainable city."</p>
<p>The government's resolve to go ahead with the elevated corridor project has forced citizen groups to step up their campaign. </p>.<p>Moving the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for the cancellation of the environmental clearance for the project, the groups are now pushing hard for public consultation as promised by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy. </p>.<p>Faced with an unprecedented citizen campaign and an online petition that garnered over three lakh signatures, the government put the controversial project on the backburner. But the clearance given by the State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority-Karnataka (SEIAA-K) indicated that the government was serious. </p>.<p>The citizen groups are clearly upset. They now want the chief minister to keep the promise he made after a massive public protest on March 16, 2019: That civil society groups, RWAs, bus passengers, traffic experts and all key stakeholders will be consulted before the project takes off. </p>.<p>The public consultation was to happen after the Lok Sabha elections. The project assessment, data, scientific reports, advantages and disadvantages were to be shared for feedback. "This gave us hope, and out of respect for his words, we did not continue the protests." </p>.<p>But now, the groups are convinced that the government is ploughing ahead with the project "in clear violation of various laws". A collective of over 55 groups has now decided to intensify protests and take necessary legal steps. </p>.<p>Before deciding the project, the government had to do a Social Impact Assessment (SIA). Instead, citizens spent over 500 volunteer hours to reveal this shocking statistic: 90% people along the North-South corridor alignment of Phase 1 are unaware of the EC project, and will be ambushed by its impact. </p>.<p>One of the volunteers for SIA, Ujwal K P, had this to say: "I usually surveyed the communities (vendors) that are going to get affected by the elevated corridor. Almost all the vendors I talked to are against the project as it will affect their livelihood. It is important to note that the government doesn't just serve the rich and the elite but the lower income/working class citizens, too." </p>.<p>For Priya Chetty-Rajagopal, an urban activist, the distinct departure from the process, the planned city development and the long-term focus were evident in the unseemly way the project was being rushed through. "Citizens' vigilance has been the biggest roadblock, but the politicians will now have to keep their word and demonstrate their focus on an inclusive sustainable city."</p>
