10-point plan drawn up to ease traffic flow in Bangalore city

10-point plan drawn up to ease traffic flow in Bangalore city

The Hindu

Plan includes bays for bus stops on all the main roads, says Chief Minister

BANGALORE: Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Thursday said the police have drawn up a 10-point plan to ease traffic flow in Bangalore.

He was speaking after laying the foundation stone of a modern bus station for the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) at Jayanagar 4th Block and inaugurating one more Volvo bus route from Kempe Gowda Bus Station to International Tech Park here.

Mr. Kumaraswamy said the plan envisages bus bays on main roads, installation of closed-circuit TV cameras on 200 busy roads, cancellation of driver's licence of those who frequently violate traffic rules and the like.

Directive to BDA, BMP

On the BMTC's demand to allot land for construction of bus stands and bus depots at reasonable rates, the Chief Minister said the demand should not have come to him. "It is the duty of all public utility organisations to work together for accelerated public service," he said. The Chief Minister directed the Bangalore Development Authority and the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike to consider the BMTC request immediately.

Stating that he had a special attachment to the Jayanagar locality, Mr. Kumaraswamy asked the BMTC to construct a modern bus station in the busy Banashankari area. Funds will not be a problem for the project, he said.

Transport Minister N. Cheluvaraya Swamy said the BMTC has prepared a Rs. 300-crore project to upgrade existing bus stations and depots and build new ones during the next financial year. The Government, the BMTC and the Centre will contribute Rs. 40 crores, Rs. 30 crores and Rs. 150 crores respectively, he said.

H.N. Ananth Kumar, MP for Bangalore South, urged the Chief Minister to make the metro rail project a reality soon. Besides implementing the metro project, the Government should synchronise it with the road transport system to ensure a full-fledged public transport system for the city.

Rs. 10-crore project

The bus station at Jayanagar 4th Block will cost Rs. 10 crores. It will replace the existing bus stand adjacent to the shopping complex. The ground floor will have bus bays, the first and second floors will be commercial areas and the third floor will have parking space for motorcycles and cars. There will be a pedestrian subway between the bus station and the shopping complex.