Double whammy for Bellary Road users

Double whammy for Bellary Road users

The Hindu

Traffic nightmare is in the offing for commuters for five days

# Aero India show begins at Yelahanka Air Force Station on February 7
# Pranayam Dhyan Shibir by Sri Sri Ravishankar will be held on Palace Grounds from February 5

BANGALORE: A traffic nightmare is in the offing for commuters using Bellary Road for five days from February 7. Thousands of visitors are expected to attend the five-day Aero India show at the Yelahanka Air Force Station which opens on that day for the public.

On a good day, the traffic on this arterial road is anything but orderly. And if past experience is anything to go by, traffic-stressed Bangaloreans can expect additional chaos.

As if this were not enough, another event, a Pranayam Dhyan Shibir by Sri Sri Ravishankar of the Art of Living (AoL) Foundation from February 5 to 8 on Palace Grounds skirting Bellary Road, is likely to add to the traffic volume.

Aero India, which started here in 1993, has become a mega event for Defence and civil aviation sectors. It also attracts the public fascinated by air display by sleek, state-of-the art planes, not to mention test pilots who look like film stars. While businesspersons visit the show in the mornings, the general public is allowed in the evenings, which is when the city's traffic management is put to test. Bellary Road is the only road from the city to the venue.

VIP traffic

Traffic used to get severely affected during the earlier editions of the Aero India also what with the heavy movement of VIPs and visitors. A few other mega events such as evangelist Benny Hinn's prayer meetings (January 2005) and the silver jubilee celebrations of the AoL Foundation (February 2006) had ground traffic on the road to a halt.

The Dhyan Shibir, presided over by Sri Sri Ravishankar, will be held in two sessions — 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. and 6.30 p.m. to 9 p.m. The organisers expect around 15,000 people to attend each session.

Sunil S. Devdhar, member of AoL's Karnataka-Goa Apex Body, told The Hindu that the exact number attending and their mode of conveyance was known as participation is strictly through passes.

"We are in constant touch with the traffic police and the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation for smooth entry and exit of people." From February 6 when the shibir coincides with Aero India, the entry and exit would be shifted towards Munireddypalya (TV Tower) to avoid traffic snarls, he said. BMTC buses had been arranged to transport people to the nearest bus station after each session.

Arrangements

Traffic police have drawn up a plan for Aero India as well as the AoL Shibir, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) M.N. Reddi told The Hindu.

As usual, trucks would be banned on Bellary Road between the Ring Road Junction and Yelahanka during the day.

A detailed notification would follow soon. Traffic would stop to facilitate VIP movement, including that of the Italian Prime Minister on February 11 and 12.

It would be better for those using Bellary Road to leave at least an hour ahead of time to reach their destinations, the police said.