Basavanagudi homes threatened by road project

Basavanagudi homes threatened by road project


Sharan Poovanna Express News ServiceFirst Published : 26 Jul 2010 09:24:58 AM ISTLast Updated : 26 Jul 2010 10:30:27 AM IST
BANGALORE: Basavanagudi, one of the oldest neighbourhoods of Bangalore, will go under the bulldozer if the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has its way.
The Palike has proposed widening the stretch from BMS College of Engineering towards the Ring Road for lack of a more feasible and functional alternative.
The move seems unreasonable and uncalled for to the residents and the devotees of Bull Temple.
“I can understand that more commercial roads need widening, but this is a residential area,” said Rajeev, a lawyer, expressing his disapproval of the project.
He said the project in residential areas would amount to many homes being demolished.
He said to make way for traffic, the BBMP could easily divert the traffic to the main roads or bigger roads that lead to the same road.
“The government is focusing on all the wrong places,” said Murugesh, an auto driver.
He said congestion would reduce drastically if the repair works undertaken by the public works department were completed.
He said many heavy vehicles use the road to avoid traffic on the Ring Road and other adjoining roads.
“We have asked the authorities to wait till the Metro is ready to see the change in traffic before implementing the project in this area,” said Katte Satyanarayana, Basavangudi councillor and ruling party leader of the BBMP council.
He said more than 285 houses could be demolished for the project.
“We have asked for alternate sites to be provided if this is the case as Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) is an option that not many would agree to,” he said, adding that he had held meetings with the residents to assure that all options would be explored.