Utility providers told to speed up projects

Utility providers told to speed up projects
The task force has asked the BMP to hasten the project of constructing bus bays across the city, which would decongest the traffic movement on busy roads.

Deccan Herald

The newly-constituted task force for traffic management on Monday directed utility providers to speed up projects undertaken to ensure smooth and unhindered flow of traffic on busy thoroughfares of the city.

The task force headed by Home Secretary Brahm Dutt held its maiden meeting with the chiefs of almost all utility providers -- BMP, Police, BWSSB, Bescom, BMTC and BDA -- to review the status of ongoing projects.

According to official sources, the task force has asked Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) to hasten the work on construction of 250 bus bays across the city, in consultation with traffic police and Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC).

BMP undertook the bus bays project in 2002-03. But so far it has constructed just over 60 bus bays. The project envisages to decongest traffic movement on busy roads and traffic junctions, by creating a separate space (off the roads) for the city buses to take stop.

Besides, the task force has directed BMP to axe 700 trees that obstruct traffic flow on roads. “After completion of road widening work on some roads in the city, many trees are now located right on these roads, resulting in traffic congestion. Hence, BMP has been asked to cut those trees,” sources said.

Shift transformers
Bescom has identified 94 transformers and 1,100 electricity poles, which need to be shifted to other places. These poles and transformers were found to be hindering traffic movement, mainly in the city central parts. BMP and Bescom will equally bear the cost of this work, sources said.

The task force was constituted by Chief Minister N Dharam Singh mainly to address the problem of traffic congestion. Mr Singh has even set a six month’s deadline for the task force to ease the increasing traffic snarls.

Long-term plans
This apart, the task force will chalk out long-term plans like construction of flyovers and subways to deal with the problem in future. “The long-term plan will be worked out soon. Today, we mainly dealt with immediate measures to be taken,” he sources said.

BMP Commissioner K Jothiramalingam, Police Commissioner S Mariswamy, Traffic DCP (East) M A Saleem, BDA Engineering Member Ramaswamy, Bescom Managing Director Bharath Lal Meena and other officials were present in the meeting.