Bengaluru: Members of the BJP Mahila Morcha staged a ‘chipko’ movement at Anand Rao Circle on Thursday and hugged trees as a mark of protest against the BDA’s proposed steel flyover, for which 812 trees are to be axed.
Led by MP Shobha Karandlaje, the members shouted slogans against the Congress government for turning a deaf ear to the citizens’ demands and alleged that the government could be getting lucrative kickbacks for going ahead with the project, despite such public opposition.
Shobha said, “Like many slow-paced infrastructure works, this steel flyover too will deface the city. We need to question why the state government is so adamant about this flyover and its whole focus is revolving around this one flyover. Despite such a huge hue and cry from the citizens, urban experts and other political parties, the state government does not want to drop the project. The government’s refusal to budge is very suspicious.”
She further pointed out that when the Cabinet approved the project, the cost of the project was estimated at '1,300 crore, but when the detailed project report (DPR) was finally prepared, the cost escalated to '1,800 crore. “When there are so many other pending urban infrastructure projects that need money and the BDA being almost bankrupt, the government should be transparent and should explain to the citizens why it still wants to go ahead with the flyover,” she demanded.
Shobha took a dig at the slow-paced Namma Metro project and said that wherever the project was in progress, there was congestion in the city. “The flyover is bound to become slow-paced due to lack of funds in the future or could remain incomplete, and the citizens would ultimately bear the brunt due to the government’s adamant behaviour,” she said.
AAP seeks Rahul’s intervention
A letter by AAP state convener Prithvi Reddy, addressed to Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, urges him to intervene and stop the project immediately. Reddy stated, “Dear Mr Gandhi, by now you must surely be aware of the massive opposition to your government's ludicrous idea of building a steel flyover in the heart of Bengaluru, at an exorbitant cost of nearly Rs 2,000 crore. While the State government cites a 2-day online consultation and approval of 73% of the 229 responses, they have chosen to completely ignore the objection by about 10,000 citizens who formed a human chain against the project. All of this reminds us a lot of the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, and how your government responded then too, and the verdict the angered voters delivered. That could surely happen here too.”
He further said, “The popular belief is that in the run-up to the elections in Uttar Pradesh, your party is shoring up as much funds as it can to be competitive. And Karnataka, as the last large state ruled by the INC, is the inevitable place to look for those resources. As a concerned citizens and the convener of an opposition party in Karnataka, I see no reason why the state should bear the brunt of the Congress party's steep fall in public support. Therefore we call upon you to do the needful immediately.”
