The Hindu : Karnataka News : BBMP to seek patent of underpasses

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Friday, Mar 14, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka

BBMP to seek patent of underpasses

S. Rajendran

The magic underpass costs a fraction of the usual Rs. 20 crore or so for such constructions

Attorney appointed to finalise the patent application
Surface pass planned near Maharani’s College

— Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

Unique: Pre-cast blocks of an underpass kept ready in Bangalore.

BANGALORE: For the first time in its history of over a century, the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike is staking claim to establish its right of ownership over a new road construction technology — that of underpasses, surface passes and overpasses.

The civic authority, after the inauguration of the new underpass on the Sankey Road (Cauvery junction), has decided to go full steam in owning the rights over the novel technology which has saved the exchequer a huge amount of money.

While the usual cost of construction of an underpass is about Rs. 20 crore, the BBMP’s magic underpass has cost it a mere Rs. 1 crore which again has been offset by the number of outdoor advertisement hoardings that have come up in the vicinity of the newly opened underpass.

What is now being tried out at the BDA junction is a surface-pass also known in common parlance as grade separator.

Municipal authorities from Chennai, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh and Mumbai have already sought information on the new technology, obviously in an effort to implement the same in their respective cities. Given the nature of the appreciation and the demand for the technology, the BBMP elicited the views of some civil engineering experts and has now decided to seek a patent for both the product (concrete elements) and the process of installation (erecting the elements).

Patent attorney

BBMP Commissioner S. Subramanya told The Hindu that the BBMP has appointed a patent attorney to finalise the patent application to be made over to the Union Government. The patent in turn could fetch a royalty to the BBMP from those who use the technology. The pursuit of the BBMP to obtain a patent is, however, more a matter of pride and prestige than the money obtained as royalty. Technical Adviser to the BBMP R. Jaiprasad and Chief Engineer (Roads), K.S. Krishna Reddy have been authorised to coordinate with the Union Government and explain the salient features of the new technology.

Obtaining a patent, however, is a long drawn process and could take a few months, provided there is no objection from any quarter. Several civil engineering experts, including those in the Department of Civil engineering of the Indian Institute of Science, have extended support to the BBMP in the technology.

More under way

Mr. Subramanya said the new technology would be extensively used in Bangalore. Apart from the seven underpasses to come up on the airport corridor, a surface pass has been planned at the Maharani’s College junction on the Seshadri Road and this work would commence shortly. The BBMP has also planned to construct several pedestrian subways on arterial roads using the same technology.

Incidentally, then BCC (Bangalore City Municipal Corporation) which was strapped for funds took over a decade to complete the first flyover of Bangalore — the Sirsi circle flyover.

The original design of the flyover (up to Hudson circle) was changed owing to a paucity of funds and it culminated on the Narasimaharaja Road. Thereafter, flyovers in Bangalore were largely constructed by the Bangalore Development Authority which was flush with funds compared with the BBMP. The new technology has thus come as a boon to the BBMP to undertake the construction of a series of underpasses.

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