2006 Bumper Offer; More Promises

2006 Bumper Offer; More Promises
Deccan Herald

Sadak, bijli and makaan for all. The end of potholes. Traffic jam-free streets. Landscaped sidewalks. Super-fast transport connectivity. Drains that never flood. Garbage that never overflows.... Come 2006, Bangaloreans’ dreams will all come true, if civic authorities can keep their new year resolutions.

The action-packed high point of next year is likely to be the merger of the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) with the seven City Municipal Corporations (CMCs). However, how and when that will happen still rests with the Government.

Meanwhile, the BMP has promised to repair all damaged roads in the busy districts by March 2006. Sidewalks will be repaired, skywalks added and boulevards built. All busy intersections will have flyovers.

The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), still celebrating the High Court’s go-ahead to Arkavathy Layout, is likely to allot sites next year. It is also going to announce its biggest residential layout, with 50,000 sites, in early 2006. The peripheral ring road, hi-tech city corridor and nearly four flyovers will be work-in-progress next year. And the work on the pending three grade separators — on Airport Road, Anand Rao Circle and Jayadeva Circle — will finally see “The End”. It is also planning to install quick-to-fix steel flyovers in four locations in the City.

The Bangalore Traffic Police is going to introduce B-Trac, touted as the ultimate traffic management solution. Under this project, over 150 signals in jam-prone areas will be controlled by a centrally monitored computerised system.

Bangalore Metro rode on hope this year. Hopefully the controversies of Monorail Vs Metrorail and Deve Gowda Vs Metrorail will subside, and the metro project will get into action in 2006. The Cabinet clearance is expected in January, and if things go by schedule, the bhoomi pooja will be on Sankranti Day.

For globe-trotting Bangaloreans, check-in blues will end when the Common Users Terminal Equipment (CUTE) system will be introduced in 2006. Under this system, every check-in counter will be equipped to handle the formalities for all the airlines.

With a package deal like that, Bangaloreans just can’t wait for the new year to set in!

How clean is your valley?

Despite a ‘flood-proof’ topography, bad drainage system, encroachments and choked stormwater drains have caused flashfloods this year. Even the ambitious remodelling project of four major valleys, taken up at a cost of Rs 600 crore, has failed to give hope, largely because of the slow progress of work. Only 20 per cent of the work has been done in Koramangala and Challaghatta valleys in the last six months. The two valleys are to be remodelled by 2006-end. Meanwhile, even the preliminary work of awarding works is pending in the case of Vrishabhavati and Hebbal valleys.

Name of valley Total length (metres) Work done Deadline

Koramangala 56,135 Desilting, November, 2006

bed concreting

Challaghatta 26,745 Desilting December, 2006

Hebbal 51,655 Pending Awaits Cabinet approval

Vrishabhavathi 90,420 Pending Awaits Cabinet approval



Flying high on flyovers

Flyovers-under-construction might be a bane for Bangaloreans, but for BMP and BDA, they seem to be an inspiration. Both the agencies are going to add several grade seperators next year, with the ultimate target being 25 flyovers on the core ring road itself.

Grade Separators/Flyovers likely to be taken up in 2006:

Yeswanthpur Circle BMP

Malleswaram Circle BMP

Gali Anjaneya Circle BMP

Ramakrishna Circle BMP

RV Teachers’ College BMP

Tagore Circle BMP

Magadi Rd-Chord Rd BDA

Shantala Circle BDA

Ramamurthy BDA

Main Rd

THE TOP FLOP SHOWS

Parking trouble

When multi-level car parks were inaugurated this year, it was believed to be the end of all parking woes.

However, this was not to be. Three car parks at KG Road, JC Road and Magarath Road were inaugurated this year, but Bangaloreans still prefer to park on the road. While Magarath Road’s Garuda complex became more famous for its mall, JC Road Complex did not even have this claim to fame. The facility at KG Road, though officially
inaugurated, is yet to allow vehicles inside.

Down the wrong lane

The Bangalore Traffic’s plan to create vehicle-oriented traffic lanes failed to take off. The department, finally realising that the City’s roads had too many junctions for such pilot projects, has now decided to go in for
direction-based laning. This work is expected to be taken up in early 2006.

Skywalk to nowhere

*Installed at Airport Road, Residency Road and Jayanagar.
* Not very successful among pedestrians.
* 28 more skywalks, at a cost of Rs 171 crore, in 2006.

The Pot-holu story continues...

Deadlines come and deadlines go, but potholes stay forever.

Five major roads in the City were earmarked for upgradation by December 15, but a fortnight past the deadline, only 50 per cent of the work is over. Another batch of six roads is in-waiting, with a January 15 deadline. Authorities say 15-20 per cent of the work is done till now. Given this rate of progress, are Bangaloreans in for a long wait?

Promises carried forward

Name of Length Estimate cost Deadline

the road (in Kms) (Rs in lakhs)

MG Road 1.3 39.75 Dec 15

Ulsoor Road 1.8 119.5 Dec 15

Airport Road 1 36.3 Dec 15

20th Main Road,

Koramangala 1.5 185.5 Dec 15

J B Nagar 1.6 75.5 Dec 15