Chairman of the civic body’s major works standing committee, who had earlier opposed the construction of the road, does a volte-face and grants permission for work to resume
Posted On Thursday, April 14, 2011 at 11:45:19 PM
In a move that’s bound to trigger fresh protests from green activists, the BBMP’s major works committee has cleared the decks for the completion of the controversial road which cuts through the Gandhi Krishi Vignana Kendra (GKVK) campus,
linking Yeshwanthpur and Yelanhanka. Environmentalists say the road will severely impact bio-diversity in
the area.
The University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), under whose authority GKVK functions, had initially surrendered 24 acres for the 6-km project. More than 1,800 trees were axed as the BBMP completed construction on 3.9 km of road. Green activists claimed that construction activity and the axing of trees had driven away honey bees in the area. The UAS is now unwilling to surrender the remaining 12 acres for the completion of road and have filed a case in the high court.
H Ravindra, chairman of BBMP’s major works committee, had at first sided with environmentalists and had ordered a halt to construction work in December last year. However, he has now changed his mind, presumably due to sustained pressure from Yelahanka MLA S R Vishwanath of the BJP, who had wanted the remaining 2.1 km of the road completed, no matter the costs.
Speaking to Bangalore Mirror on Thursday, Ravindra revealed that he had changed his mind because of the weight of public opinion.
“It’s true that I had opposed the project,” Ravindra said. “This is because it was not designed scientifically. But I’ve consented to the project on public demand. I have received more than 20 representations from residents around GKVK and they have shown that they face immense difficulty because they do not have proper connectivity to Yeshwanthpur.
Work on the project will commence soon,” he said.
Prior to this volte-face, Ravindra had even suggested returning the 24 acres to GKVK. However, Vishwanath had
threatened to move court if the BBMP followed through on that decision. The proposed road also connects to the Bangalore International Airport, and, once opened to the public, it would save motorists 40 minutes of travel time.
“We had no other option other than to go ahead with road cutting work,” Ravindra said. “We have already spent Rs 14 crore on the project and will need to spend another Rs 7 crore to complete the project. I had considered returning the land to GKVK, but that is practically not possible. It would take years to restore the green cover in the area and to bring the situation back to what it once was. It isn’t feasible.”
However, there are still some on the committee who oppose the project. S Harish, Nagapura corporator and a member of the major works standing committee, said: “I still think that there is no need for the road. The officials have violated the Comprehensive Development Plan 2015. I will speak to the committee chairman. I do not know how he has taken a decision to go ahead with the project without consulting me, a member of the committee.”
BBMP’s big plan
Once the road through GKVK is completed, the BBMP’s road infrastructure department plans to link it to Canara Bank Layout and from there to NTI Layout towards Sahakar Nagar.
Further, the road parallel to the railway track would be developed and would connect to Kodigehalli Main Road and L&T Road. MLA Vishwanath said: “The road (through GKVK) is very important considering the pace at which traffic in Bangalore is growing. I had requested Mayor S K Nataraj and the the BBMP council to ensure completion of the road.”
Current Status
Posted On Thursday, April 14, 2011 at 11:45:19 PM
In a move that’s bound to trigger fresh protests from green activists, the BBMP’s major works committee has cleared the decks for the completion of the controversial road which cuts through the Gandhi Krishi Vignana Kendra (GKVK) campus,
linking Yeshwanthpur and Yelanhanka. Environmentalists say the road will severely impact bio-diversity in
the area.
The University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), under whose authority GKVK functions, had initially surrendered 24 acres for the 6-km project. More than 1,800 trees were axed as the BBMP completed construction on 3.9 km of road. Green activists claimed that construction activity and the axing of trees had driven away honey bees in the area. The UAS is now unwilling to surrender the remaining 12 acres for the completion of road and have filed a case in the high court.
H Ravindra, chairman of BBMP’s major works committee, had at first sided with environmentalists and had ordered a halt to construction work in December last year. However, he has now changed his mind, presumably due to sustained pressure from Yelahanka MLA S R Vishwanath of the BJP, who had wanted the remaining 2.1 km of the road completed, no matter the costs.
Speaking to Bangalore Mirror on Thursday, Ravindra revealed that he had changed his mind because of the weight of public opinion.
“It’s true that I had opposed the project,” Ravindra said. “This is because it was not designed scientifically. But I’ve consented to the project on public demand. I have received more than 20 representations from residents around GKVK and they have shown that they face immense difficulty because they do not have proper connectivity to Yeshwanthpur.
Work on the project will commence soon,” he said.
Prior to this volte-face, Ravindra had even suggested returning the 24 acres to GKVK. However, Vishwanath had
threatened to move court if the BBMP followed through on that decision. The proposed road also connects to the Bangalore International Airport, and, once opened to the public, it would save motorists 40 minutes of travel time.
“We had no other option other than to go ahead with road cutting work,” Ravindra said. “We have already spent Rs 14 crore on the project and will need to spend another Rs 7 crore to complete the project. I had considered returning the land to GKVK, but that is practically not possible. It would take years to restore the green cover in the area and to bring the situation back to what it once was. It isn’t feasible.”
However, there are still some on the committee who oppose the project. S Harish, Nagapura corporator and a member of the major works standing committee, said: “I still think that there is no need for the road. The officials have violated the Comprehensive Development Plan 2015. I will speak to the committee chairman. I do not know how he has taken a decision to go ahead with the project without consulting me, a member of the committee.”
BBMP’s big plan
Once the road through GKVK is completed, the BBMP’s road infrastructure department plans to link it to Canara Bank Layout and from there to NTI Layout towards Sahakar Nagar.
Further, the road parallel to the railway track would be developed and would connect to Kodigehalli Main Road and L&T Road. MLA Vishwanath said: “The road (through GKVK) is very important considering the pace at which traffic in Bangalore is growing. I had requested Mayor S K Nataraj and the the BBMP council to ensure completion of the road.”
Current Status
