Elevated walkway plan may take time to fructify

Elevated walkway plan may take time to fructify

The Hindu

30 locations are said to have been finalised

# The estimated cost of the project has been put at Rs. 15 crore
# The `skywalks' are to be built by outdoor advertisement agencies
# The agencies are to be given a five-year lease on advertising space

Bangalore: With the Government apparently trying to clip the fiscal wings of the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP), the plans for "skywalks," elevated pedestrian crossings with escalators at select locations, may have to wait.

The estimated cost is around Rs. 15 crore, and the idea came from Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy himself as part of his programme to improve facilities in Bangalore. The BMP is known to have toyed with the idea of elevated pedestrian crossings from last year itself with 30 locations almost finalised.

They were to be built by outdoor advertisement agencies which would gain by a five-year lease on advertising space.

As prime locations with high traffic were being selected it was a great business opportunity for them and something for the civic body to take credit for. With the decision to severely curb outdoor hoardings and limit their dimensions, the "skywalks" would have helped to bridge the revenue gap.

For safety considerations, the elevated walkways were to be built in consultation with the Indian Institute of Science and a private firm specialising in such structures.

Ironically, an existing elevated walkway close to the IISc is little used. With each elevated walkway plus escalators estimated to cost Rs. 50 lakh, the cost would have been too much without advertisement support. But the advertising revenue alone may not pay for them at the initial stage, according to some advertising agencies. This is the reason for a long lease on the space, they explain.

The escalator idea was to encourage more pedestrians use them as a safer and easier option to crossing the roads at will.

For the aged and physically disabled, the escalators would have been ideal.

If constructed with an eye on aesthetics the skywalks would have only added to the city's beauty.

Among the locations reportedly selected but yet to be finalised were Lalbagh Main Gate, Jayanagar 13th Cross bus stand, Cunningham Road (near MSIL), near Shantinagar bus terminal, K.H. Road, Airport Road (near Kemp Fort), Residency Road (near Bishop Cotton School), R.V. Road (near Vijaya College), near ISKCON Temple, Outer Ring Road (near Kattriguppe), Marappanapalya on Tumkur Road and near the CBI building in Ganganagar.