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Bellandur cries for skywalk on ‘blood road’

Crossing the stretch near Ecospace has become a challenging task for pedestrians
Bengaluru: The stretch near RMZ Ecospace, Bellandur, is often referred to as ‘Blood Road’ as it is the scene of frequent accidents, some of them fatal. The pressing need for a skywalk here is growing with every passing month, but the authorities remain reluctant to take any action. In fact, a PPP-based skywalk has been approved for this stretch, but there is no sign of construction happening any time soon.
Crossing the stretch near Ecospace has become a challenging task for pedestrians and accidents have become frequent here. Rahul Kumar, an IT employee, says, “We have often taken accident victims on this road to nearby hospitals. There is definitely an urgent need for a skywalk here.”
Arindam Banerjee, another commuter, adds, “I wonder why there isn’t a single traffic signal on this whole stretch. If the excuse is traffic delays, in what way is it better now? People anyway spend hours stuck in traffic, adding another half-hour to their waiting time won’t make much of a difference. At least, it will cause fewer accidents. Cabs, tankers and trucks are the worst. A few weeks ago my friend and his father met with an accident on this same stretch.”
Chitra Nanda says, “The ideal solution would be for the companies in Ecospace to take up skywalk construction as it is in their best interest to safeguard their employees. “It is because of such establishments that people are inconvenienced. A few years ago things were not so bad.”
Arindam feels these IT giants can pressurise the administration into building a skywalk. Meera Kri, a commuter, says, “These IT giants can lobby and put pressure. But really, the job of the companies is not to fix infrastructure. They are anyway paying tax. Why did the government give permission without thought or planning?”
Apparently, ORRCA in collaboration with 35 companies in Ecospace/Pritech has initiated a project to build a skywalk. The project also involves building the road dividers and pedestrian pathways. If reports are to be believed the project is in the final stages of approval by BDA and is likely to start sometime within September.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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