Steel bridge flyover: Karnataka cabinet okayed 14 per cent hike in cost
Bengaluru: Even as the protest over the controversial steel bridge flyover project is getting bigger, controversial information surrounding the project is tumbling out. The state cabinet, while giving its approval for the project, voluntarily enhanced its cost by 14 per cent over the standard rate proposed in the project proposal.
Highly placed sources in the government said that the cabinet is entitled to give permission to escalate the cost of projects by up to 20 per cent and a 14 per cent increase was well within its rights.
Read: Guest column: It will only shift traffic jams
“Generally, this happens midway through the project implementation. It is done to hasten the project and also to rule out any possibility of further cost escalation. But with the steel bridge flyover, the cabinet gave the consent even before it was launched,” the sources said.
Asked why the cabinet took a voluntarily decision to escalate the cost, the sources said that if the lowest bidder renegotiated the tender with the government, this 14 per cent escalation could be approved by the cabinet.
A senior minister in the cabinet told Deccan Chronicle that if people felt the cost of the project is very high, it is not wrong to give the project a fresh look. “We have to solve the problem of traffic congestion and the only way out is through flyovers. Whether we need steel flyovers or concrete ones, we can hold discussions on that again. The cost also can be looked into again, there is nothing wrong in it,” he said.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has convened a meeting with Bengaluru Development Minister K.J. George and additional chief secretary in-charge for urban development Mahendra Jain to discuss various issues raised by the public.
Thousands expected to form human chain tomorrow
The protest against the proposed steel bridge from Chalukya Circle to Hebbal is gaining momentum with the newly formed Citizens Against Steel Flyover (CASFo) vowing to put a stop to it and save the hundreds of trees that will have to make way for it.
Over 10,000 signatures have been gathered online for a petition against the project drawn up by the Namma Bengaluru Foundation (NBF) and Sunday morning could see thousands of people from various walks of life forming a human chain at the Chalukya Circle, BDA junction, Cauvery theatre and Mekhri Circle to register their protest.
The NBF has over the last few days made calls to MLAs of all 28 city constituencies and MPs from Bengaluru to gauge their take on the steel bridge and of the 16 MLAs and two MPs, who responded, not one supported it , according to CEO of NBF , Sridhar Pabbisetty. Spea king to reporters here, he said the secrecy surrounding the proposed project was quite suspicious.
“The government is not publicising the detailed project report even after repeated requests and RTI applications. The environmental impact assessment too has not been carried out,” he deplored.
Describing the steel bridge as a “symptom of undemocratic planning,” Mr Ramdas Rao of the Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike said investing '1791 crore in a project like this did not make sense.”
The same money can be used to provide more buses and improve public transport in the city,” he contended. Theatre and film personality, Prakash Belawadi, said the government needed to be more transparent on the proposed bridge.
“We just want the government to let the people know the pros and the cons of the project so it can be debated,” he explained.
