Karnataka - Bangalore   

BBMP defends road-widening

BANGALORE: The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on Friday defended in the Karnataka High Court the road-widening project it had taken up in the city.

It said that though more than 90 roads were notified in 2005 for road-widening, some of them were dropped, while it was already completed on some roads.

The BBMP made this submission when the court was hearing a petition by Environmental Support Groupand CIVIC, Bangalore, challenging the road-widening project and also the felling of a large number of trees.

The petitioners said scores of trees were being felled under the pretext of road-widening.

They said the BBMP had notified 91 roads for widening in 2005, to be taken up in two phases.

The first phase involves Bellary Road, Palace Road, Seshadri Road, Vidhana Veedi, Nrupatunga Road, Mission Road, Devanga Hostel Road, Sankey Road, Jayamahal Road, Hosur Road, Hosur-Lasker Road, Victoria Road, Sarjapur Road, Lower Agaram Road, Dickenson Road, Old Madras Road, Kengeri Road, Mysore Road, Cottonpet Main Road, Avenue Road and K.G. Road.

The second involves 1st main Chamarajpet, 3rd Cross Bull Temple Road, Link Road, Tannery Road, 17th Main in J.C. Nagar, Kumaraswamy Layout Main Road, MTB Road and Uttarahalli Main Road.

The petitioners said though they had given representation against the unscientific manner of road-widening and tree-felling, no action was taken.

If the guidelines of the national transportation policy were followed, it would obviate large-scale felling of trees, and suggested that the trees could be saved if the BBMP formed a median around them.

The BBMP said medians were feasible only if the trees were planted in a row.

In a majority of the roads, the trees were planted in a zigzag manner, entailing felling if the roads were to be widened.

The BBMP sought time to go through the averments in the petition and come out with its stand. A Division Bench, comprising Justice V. Gopala Gowda and Justice Ravi Malimath, adjourned further hearing in the case.

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