City to have tallest tower

City to have tallest tower
BY CHANDRASHEKAR G.
BENGALURU







Article Rank










[Click To Enlarge]
Is the city skyline set to change forever? If the government clears the construction of a 560metre tower at Bengaluru’s Freedom Park, people in Bengaluru will have the country’s tallest tower.

Seeking to book a place in the record books, the city’s Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has proposed the Rs 200 crore tower be built on a Build-OwnOperate-Transfer (BOOT) model, at the old Central Jail where the Freedom Park is planned.

Earlier planned at the Park, briefly relocated to Tippasandra in Uttarahalli hobli citing traffic congestion, it’s now back at Freedom Park. At 560 m it’s just ahead of the 553 m high Toronto National Tower. The city’s new landmark is expected to be a major revenue spinner for BBMP and will boost communication, tourism and commercial activity.

A microwave dish platform at an altitude of 350 m will facilitate live telecast of major events within a radius of 100 km. Visitors can get a bird’s-eye view of the city from here. Four floors will be set aside for private telecom giants to set up their infrastructure. A major attraction will be a revolving restaurant and a cafeteria at a height of 360 m with the capacity to accommodate 150 people. An observation gallery will be provided at 355 m. Interdepartmental communications of government organisations like the Railways, All India Radio, police and Doordarshan will be located on the floors between 390 and 410 m.

Architect and designer H.R. Vishwanath said: “Solar energy will be tapped with solar cells at a height of 410 m. Air navigational lights will be fitted at a height of 560 m.” The proposal, vetted by senior government officials is awaiting the CM’s green signal before the BBMP can invite global tenders. A digital city map detailing the city’s infrastructure projects has gone online. The Bangalore Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA) has launched the map browser to present spatial information on the city’s transport network, existing infrastructure and upcoming projects.

The map can be viewed on www.bmlta.org. “The idea is to coordinate and help various departments involved in developing city infrastructure. The B version is not fully live as we are updating the entire list of ongoing infrastructure projects in the city. The real time update will be ready in the next few days,” a senior BMLTA official said, speaking to Deccan Chroni cle. “It’s very important that there is coordination between various government agencies. Most of the time one department does not know what the other is doing. This often creates misunderstanding, ultimately causing delay in completing projects which are urgently required in the city,” the official explained.

Apart from various government departments, the map browser will also help ordinary people and a host of private organisations and civic activists who would like to know the status of different projects in the city.

The map, which can be viewed in more than four formats, details 10 infrastructure projects. The alignment of the Metro Rail can be viewed in satel lite picture mode and digital mode. Future traffic and transit management centres and proposed parking complexes have also been similarly depicted on the map.

“When the BMLTA was launched the prime aim was to improve the urban transport system and help commuters have a hassle-free ride. The main website of BMLTA has a number of links and guides to help commuters find their way to the international airport, gives tips for safe commuting in and around the city and also provides information about car pooling. The map browser will be an added benefit for the web user,” the official added.

The BMLTA has invited comments on the new map and in future intends to project real time information on work on any of the city roads through the website. “The initial response has been positive and the BMLTA is also expected to launch the website in Kannada,” the official added.