Bangalore civic body authorities appear to be going round in circles

In the last few days, we have seen rising opposition from citizens to the BBMP’s plan to widen Sankey Road. Residents of the area say this project is an unapproved, unnecessary, and certainly unwanted. The elected representatives of the area, however, argue the opposite, and accuse the residents of standing in the way of the development of the city. Amid all this, the work on the project is scheduled to begin this week.

Precedents
This situation is similar to what happened when the Tagore Circle underpass work was taken up by the BBMP. There too, the Palike forced the issue by digging up the road rapidly, and converting a debate on the issue into a fait accomplish. Of course, since the work began, it has been proceeding at a snail’s pace, with the usual contracting problems that nearly all BBMP projects face. The same thing also happened at CNR Rao Circle at the western end of Sankey Road. There, the contractor appears to have abandoned the project and run away.

Are we about to see another round of the same? Or this time, can we expect the Palike to respond better?

Now one is faced with some familiar, problematic questions about the widening plan for Sankey Road. Is it a truly authorised project, with a design approved by BBMP’s technical advisory committee? No. Has it followed the Karnataka Town and Country Planning (KTCP) Act’s requirement of being notified for widening in this year’s calendar? No. Have there been public consultations on the project, along with a resettlement plan, as required in the KTCP Act? No. Could we not focus on finishing the work at CNR Rao Circle first, and then proceed to see if Sankey Road needs widening? Yes.

Work together
The solution is evident in the problem itself. The Bangalore Metropolitan Region Governance Bill, which empowers the citizens to have greater say in the affairs of their neighbourhoods, and also puts in place a proper planning process for infrastructure, is pending. We should enact this law, and work on building the city together.