Despite protests from residents and local businesses, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is moving forward with its plans to expand the Sankey Tank bund road and build a flyover in Malleshwaram. The BBMP Chief Commissioner, Tushar Giri Nath, has stated that the project is necessary to alleviate increasing traffic in the area and that the opposition will not deter the plans to proceed with the expansion.
Residents of Malleswaram and Sadashivanagara posed stiff opposition to the project, and had submitted a formal request to the BBMP Chief Commissioner to put it on hold and conduct a public consultation before proceeding. The residents went as far as climbing trees and staying there for over 24 hours after BBMP secretly cut 17 trees. They also started an online petition and sent postcards to Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, to express their opposition to the project. According to them, constructing the flyover will just transfer the problem to the next congestion area instead of alleviating the traffic congestion. They pointed out that Cauvery junction underpass is already a significant bottleneck, causing delays.
In response to these objections, a discussion on the project will be held by concerned citizens on Tuesday, January 31. According to The Hindu, the discussion will involve experts who will provide details on the project and alternative solutions. The BBMP recently invited bids for the project, which would involve widening the road and constructing a 560-metre-long flyover.
The Sankey Tank bund road widening project has been delayed for several years, but was finally authorised by the Karnataka High Court in 2011. The court ruled that the project was for the public good and must proceed with proper steps taken to follow the Karnataka Preservation of Trees Act. The road will be expanded by 15 meters between Bhashyam Circle and Malleshwaram 18th Cross, while the flyover will connect T Chowdaiah Road and 18th Cross.