Bengaluru: Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Monday admitted that the government had decided to go ahead with the 102 km elevated corridor project, despite strong opposition from environmentalists and offered to hold talks to address their concerns.
The government has quietly moved to call for tenders for the project with its six corridors running both north-south and east-west, criss- crossing vast sections of the city and possibly costing it more of its fast depleting tree cover.
Mr Kumaraswamy, who was interacting with intellectuals and representatives of various sectors here, said the project was first proposed during his previous stint as Chief Minister in 2006 and the delay in implementing it had only resulted in steeply pushing up its cost. "When we had proposed this project the cost was Rs 3500 crore , but now it has gone upto Rs 17,500 crore. I don't know why successive governments did not follow it up. But now, we have decided to take it forward," he said.
Referring to the concerns of the people, he added, "Some people say we are destroying the environment by building this corridor. If anyone has any concerns about this project or any other, the doors of Vidhana Soudha are always open. They can come and I am available for discussion."
