The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Protest against grade separator at Malleswaram Circle

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Mar 24, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Protest against grade separator at Malleswaram Circle

Staff Reporter

Shopkeepers to continue bandh today; structure design `unscientific'

BANGALORE: Shopkeepers on Sampige Road in Malleswaram suspended business on Thursday and along with resident association members staged a protest against the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike's (BMP) plan to construct a grade separator at Malleswaram Circle.

More than 500 shopkeepers joined the "bandh" called for by the Malleswaram Nagarika Samithi. The shopkeepers are also observing the "bandh" on Friday. The protestors said the proposed flyover and underpass were unscientific as far as design was concerned and would not contribute much to decongesting the area.

The BMP has planned an underpass at the Malleswaram Circle on the lines of the Mehkri Circle grade separator at an estimated cost of Rs. 17 crores to decongest traffic in the area.

The 180-metre underpass will start at the KC General Hospital and will emerge out on Maha Kavi Kuvempu Road. The existing Sampige Road will be widened.

Jagannath of Malleswaram Nagarika Samithi said the proposal to construct the grade separator at Malleswaram Circle was based on a study of traffic volumes when the Rajaji Nagar and Modi Hospital grade separators were being constructed and repair works near the Sujata Cinema were going on. "Now that the flyovers have been constructed, the traffic on Sampige Road has reduced," said Mr. Jagannath.

"The 5th Cross, where the grade separator is proposed, is about 80 ft wide and (it) feeds (traffic) Link Road, which is about 30 ft wide at its intersection with 5th Cross," he said.

The underpass would not change the situation in the area but would only add to chaos. "Flyovers have not helped the situation on Residency Road or National College Road. We fear that it may be the same here," he said.

Mr. Jagannath said the Malleswaram Nagarika Samithi was not against flyovers but wanted to ensure that the proposed design was holistic in nature and offered an integrated approach.

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