Scrap elevated corridor project

The elevated road project in Bengaluru which was shelved by the Kumaraswamy government following public outcry over its viability finds numerous mention in the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) giving rise to the suspicion that the present dispensation is trying to push it through surreptitiously. The Rs 13,250 crore, 90 km project for which the CMP proposes to allot Rs 5,250 crore in the first phase, will only end up complicating the city’s mobility issues rather than solving it, not to mention the adverse environmental impact.

The Yediyurappa government’s obstinate stand even in the light of stiff opposition from the citizens who are the main stakeholders, may only add credence to the oft-repeated charge that the real objective of the project is to pander to the cement and steel lobbies, than to ease Bengaluru’s transport problems. Ironically, the very BJP MLAs who had vociferously opposed the project in 2018 when the Janata Dal (S)-Congress government was in power are the ones who are rooting for it now.

Strangely, the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited has been made the implementing agency, instead of an independent planning authority which would have adopted a more scientific approach and recommended a pragmatic solution.

While the government claims that the corridor would support traffic speeds of 80 km per hour, a study by Indian Institute of Science states that given the increase in traffic density in 2030 when the project is expected to be completed, the travel time will be reduced by only 5.3%, and actually move to negative down the years. On the other hand, a metro corridor will reduce the travel time by 40%. Similarly, according to the study, while the road corridor will increase the particle matter (PM) pollution by 11% in 2030, metro rail will reduce it by at least 20%.

Increasing the carriage capacity will only add to the vehicular population, making it unsustainable in the long run, defeating the stated purpose of the project. Besides, the elevated corridor will reduce the width of the already narrow roads below leading to further chaos, while there will be little or no space for footpaths. Land acquisition could also pose a problem.

Instead, the focus should be on metro rail and public transport that will reduce the vehicular density on existing roads, while at the same time facilitating mass rapid transit across the city with minimal impact on the environment. The elevated corridor project needs to be scrapped immediately as it will serve absolutely no purpose except further draining the exchequer of the already cash-strapped state.