‘Padachaarigala Ulisi,’ the sloganeers shouted, seeking that pedestrians be part of the planning of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP); ‘Ulisi, Ulisi, maragala Ulisi,’ they said, calling out that the trees be saved.
Why are large infrastructure projects taken up without public consultation? Riled by the repeated failure of civic authorities to keep their word, a group of over 100 citizens marched in protest at Jayamahal Road on Sunday afternoon.
‘Padachaarigala Ulisi,’ the sloganeers shouted, seeking that pedestrians be part of the planning of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP); ‘Ulisi, Ulisi, maragala Ulisi,’ they said, calling out that the trees be saved.
While the BBMP has claimed that 857 trees would be axed to widen the roads in this area, the marchers on Sunday said that they had counted the trees earmarked for felling; they number 1,223. Many of these trees have achieved a huge girth and a large canopy, being nearly 80 years old. The BBMP proposes to plant saplings eight inches long to replace them. “What sort of plan is that?” the protesters questioned.
After a public protest by residents in the area in November, the chairman of the BBMP’s standing committee on major works, H Ravindra, had promised that a public meeting would be held. A meeting was scheduled for December 10, which was later cancelled. Repeated attempts to schedule another meeting were futile.
The protesters pointed out that provisions of the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act, 1961, had been breached: No scheme had been drafted for the widening of Jayamahal and Bellary roads, and no plans were made available in the public domain.
Environmentalist Suresh Heblikar joined the protesters on Sunday. He questioned the priorities of the government, pointing out that even though fewer people regularly commute to the airport than to Majestic Bus station, the authorities are keen to have wider roads leading to the airport.
The protesters said that the proposal to make these roads eight-lane ones would harm pedestrians. They pointed out that in the first five weeks after the new airport opened in May 2008, 17 pedestrians were killed on Bellary Road.
BBMP has not considered alternatives to road widening, the protesters claimed. Citing statistics from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, the protesters said repeated widening of roads would serve no purpose, as nearly 40,000 new cars are registered each month. “With the number of cars increasing, we will not see any reduction in congestion,” said Shaheen Shasa, volunteer, Hasiru Usiru.
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