Skywalk's no castle in the air

Skywalk's no castle in the air

A two-year old plea for a skybridge across intermediate ring road gathers dust

Sudipa Chakraborty. Bangalore



Over 40,000 commuters on Intermediate Ring Road (IRR) have been having the most pedestrian of the dreams for over two years now: a skywalk to cross the road safely on foot. But the apathetic authorities have virtually left them wondering whether they have been asking for a castle to be built in the air.
This despite scores of companies on either side of the road offering to bear part of the expenditure as well.
With thousands of vehicles zooming on the IRR 24x7, crossing the road is a dangerous task. There has been a steady rise in the number of accidents on the road.
Yet the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has remained oblivious to the demand since the time it was raised in 2007 when a group of around 30 companies sent a joint memorandum to the civic body seeking a skywalk there.
Between 2007 and 2009, representatives from these companies wrote several letters to the BBMP, reiterating their demand for a skywalk. The companies have even made it categorically clear that they are willing to share the cost as well. The Embassy Golf Links Business Park on IRR houses a host of corporate giants like Microsoft, Yahoo, IBM, Goldman Sachs and others.
With bus stands on either side of the road, employees working in these units have a tough time crossing it. In fact, several employees even hire autorickshaws to travel some distance and take a U-turn to go to the other side of the road. It's pretty common to spot autorickshaw drivers demanding exorbitant sums for the U-turn trips.
Talking to DNA, Amit Ahuja, Corporate Affairs, Embassy Group, said, "There is an uninterrupted flow of traffic on that road 24x7. Minor accidents have become a routine affair. The only solution to this burgeoning problem is a skywalk. So, we got representations from all the companies in the business park and wrote the joint memorandum to BBMP. We have been regularly following it up, but the problem still continues." Amit Ahuja has also personally met the BBMP commissioner on more than two occasions.
Last year, when representatives from the Embassy Group met the BBMP commissioner, they were told, "This skywalk is part of the budget. It is already included for the budget of 2008-2009. We will be building it soon." However, even though it is time now for the budget session of 2009-2010, the proposal is gathering dust in the files.
Rajan Vishwanath, Head, Property Management, Embassy Group said, "All the companies on this road, especially the business park, have contributed to the development of the city's IT base. So, why can't the BBMP sanction the skywalk? After all, it is for the safety of over 40,000 employees working in this tech enclave. Besides, we are ready to share the cost too."
Rohith Prasad, a techie with Yahoo, added, "Even if we assume that most of the people commute by their own vehicles, a large section has to cross the road to get into autos and buses on the other side. The vehicles come from a blind corner; it is very scary to cross the road."
Praveen Rastogi, a techie from IBM, met with a minor accident while crossing the road last month. "My bike was being serviced and an autorickshaw driver asked for Rs 20 to take the U-turn and drop me at the gate. Instead of paying the extra buck, I preferred to cross the road. Just when I reached the middle of the road, a Scorpio hit me. Had there been a skywalk this accident could be averted," he said.
c_sudipa@dnaindia.netsafety in air: A file photo of a skywalk near ISKCON. Intermediate Ring Road commuters are asking for a similar skywalk which they hope will help them cross the road on foot safely