Flyover at Kittur Rani Chennamma Circle

Two years after HD Deve Gowda stalled the project, BBMP awards contract for the Rs 32-crore flyover at Kittur Rani Chennamma Circle

The flyover will start from Deve Gowda Petrol Pump

The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is going to axe 221 Ashoka trees for the construction of a flyover at Kittur Rani Chennamma Circle in home minister R Ashok’s Padmanabh Nagar constituency.

Sources said BBMP has already awarded the contract for the 352-metre four-lane flyover to Nagarjuna Construction Corporation and set a time frame of 18 months for its completion.

Though the Rs 32-crore project was to be executed in 2009, it had to be shelved due to opposition by former president H D Deve Gowda. The JD(S) leader allegedly opposed the project because his daughter stayed near Deve Gowda Petrol Station, from where the flyover was to start, and construction work would cause traffic jams and pollution in the area. Now, with the home minister pushing for construction of the flyover, the project has received a fresh lease of life.

A senior BBMP official said, “BBMP had dropped the project because Deve Gowda had expressed unhappiness about it. But now, the traffic pressure on the road has increased. Also, Ashok wants the project to be executed and we have already completed the formalities.”

BBMP’s engineer-in-chief B T Ramesh said, “We have identified 221 Ashoka trees to be cut in order to make space for the flyover. Nagarjuna Con-struction Corporation will start the work soon.”

The documents available with Bangalore Mirror show that the BBMP has already paid Rs 1.35 crore to BWSSB and Rs 1.28 crore to Bescom for shifting the utilities.

The JD(S), however, is planning to protest again. Party spokesperson YSV Dutta said, “We will oppose the project. The former prime minister has expressed unhappiness about it. It is a small road and there is no need of a flyover there. Besides, construction works will choke traffic movement in the locality.”

“Our party has opposed cutting trees in the city in the name of various projects. We have already lost a large number of trees for road widening. Instead of cutting trees, BBMP should find some other solution to ease traffic movement,” he added.