Batting for kids’ safety on Bangalore-Tumkur Road

Batting for kids’ safety on Bangalore-Tumkur Road


Express News Service
First Published : 06 Feb 2009 08:09:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 06 Feb 2009 12:27:33 PM IST

BANGALORE: Around 2,000 protesters brought traffic on the Bangalore-Tumkur Road to a complete standstill for nearly two hours on Thursday. They were demanding that the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) respond to their request for the construction of a pedestrian subway across the busy road at the 16-km stone.

The 16th km stone on the Bangalore- Tumkur road is a busy place with a school, a college and a factory on one side and a hospital on the other side.

A ccording to protestors, thousands cross the stretch between the Manav Charitable Hospital and the Jindal School every day and that the road is fraught with danger.

Venugopal, Headmaster of the Jindal High School says that for his 1,200 students, getting to school is a risky ordeal. “Everyday students have to avoid a sea of speeding vehicles to get to school. Last year, two students were badly injured in an accident while crossing the road.” The National Highway Authority of India(NHAI) is taking up a project of widening the road with an elevated highway and service roads. The protesters fear that once this project is completed there would be a further increase in accidents and expressed the need for constructing a subway below both the service roads and the elevated NH-4. “We are forced to go for this kind of agitation as the NHAINHAI has refused to address our concerns,” said Sridhar.

Manoj Kumar, Project Director, NHAI said that there was already a proposal for the construction of an underpass connecting the two service roads on the either sides of the highway. “But the villagers are demanding the construction of a subway below both the service roads and the elevated NH-4 and we are looking into the suggestions,” he said.

A ccording to the police, the claims of high fatality on the road are exaggerated. The police have registered a case against the protestors for causing inconvenience to the public. “We will look through photographs and videos of the incident and take necessary action against those involved,” said an official.