Techie's efforts bear fruit, ORR to get skywalk

A petition filed by an IT professional on the Union government's Public Grievances Portal has prompted the BBMP to call bids for the construction of a much-needed skywalk on the busy Outer Ring Road near Kadubeesanahalli in southeastern Bengaluru.

Crossing the busy road during rush hour to reach their workplace is a daily ordeal for IT professionals Sandeep K and Prasad Pollisetti. But they didn't just ignore the problem and decided to approach the authorities. Sandeep filed a petition on the portal in November 2017. The petition stated that walkers are at great risk on the four-lane road (two main roads and two service roads). With a college and two tech parks located nearby, thousands of people cross the road every day.

To his pleasant surprise, he got a positive response. The Prime Minister's Office sent the petition to the Bengaluru traffic police who forwarded it to the BBMP on February 27, 2018.

"It takes us over half an hour to cross this stretch. Many college students and senior citizens face the same problem. I filed the petition on my friend's suggestion," Sandeep said. "Just a week after I filed the petition, a walker died in an accident on this road. Bengaluru's roads, especially the ORR, are not safe for pedestrians."

No streetlights

The traffic police believe that apart from the busy vehicular movement, the lack of proper streetlights on the roads lead to accidents at night. This year itself, two pedestrians have been killed on this road in accidents, said Shivaram, Inspector, Old Airport Road traffic police station.

The BBMP has invited bids for the construction of a skywalk on the road, a senior official said. The project, however, could be delayed as Namma Metro's Phase 2A (KR Puram-Silk Board junction) is coming to the ORR. The metro authorities have requested the BBMP to hold the skywalk project until the line is completed.