Cost has doubled in five months

Cost has doubled in five months
Deccan Herald

The estimated cost of the proposed grade separator project at the Ramakrishna Ashram Circle in Basavanagudi has doubled in less than five months.


The estimated cost of the proposed grade separator project at the Ramakrishna Ashram Circle in Basavanagudi has doubled in less than five months.

The cost of the project was supposed to be Rs 21.58 crore as per a feasibility report by the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike in May 2005. But a steep cost escalation was allowed within five months, raising many an eyebrow, with the project cost being increased to Rs 43.55 crore. The BMP itself adopted a resolution on October 21, 2005 increasing the cost to Rs 43.55 crore and accepted the tender for this amount from a contractor who was the minimum bidder.

Even as the cost escalation has given rise to speculation, the feasibility report indicates that the underpass would provide a traffic relief of only 18.76 per cent by catering to 1999 passenger car units (PCU) per hour. Similarly the flyover, according to the report, is expected to provide only 20.26 per cent relief by catering to 2,159 PCUs per hour. Hence the traffic experts have demanded a detailed study of the cost-benefit ratio of the project.

Which way?

Meanwhile, there is also confusion over the project specification. Basavanagudi MLA K Chandrashekhar has claimed that the grade separator will be two-way. But the feasibility report, a copy of which is available with Deccan Herald, makes it clear that both the flyover and the underpass are one-way.

Residents of the area have expressed serious opposition to the proposed project. Under the banner of the Basavanagudi Nagarikara Vedike, the residents have put up a strong resistance and argued that there isn’t sufficient space for a two-way flyover in the area as their MLA claimed.

Even if the flyover is only one-way, they say, it would have serious impact on the residential area in the vicinity as people crossing over would have no way back. Pointing out that the proposed metro rail would also pass close to the circle, they argue that the grade separator might become redundant after the implementation of the metro project as the requirements might change. The need of the hour, the residents say, is a signal light-based traffic system and not a grade separator.

The residents have launched a signature campaign.

Ramakrishna Ashram too has observed that the project would cause the institution much inconvenience.