The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : High Court expresses concern over deaths on Bellary Road

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Saturday, Jul 19, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

High Court expresses concern over deaths on Bellary Road

Staff Reporter

The stretch connects the city to the international airport at Devanahalli

NHAI draws criticism for not prioritising pedestrian safety
Uday Holla details projects taken up to improve infrastructure

BANGALORE: The Karnataka High Court on Friday expressed concern over the rising number of accidents on Bellary Road (National Highway 7), which connects the city to the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) at Devanahalli.

A Division Bench, comprising Justice Rammohan Reddy and Justice Jawed Rahim, expressed unhappiness over the inadequate steps for pedestrian safety and said it was unfortunate that several persons had lost their lives in road accidents.

When told that signal lights had been installed at several places on the road and parts of the stretch barricaded, the Bench termed them as short-term measures and sought to know how such a road could be constructed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) without making sufficient provision for pedestrian safety. It orally observed that there were several villages on both sides of the road and the NHAI had not taken into account the road-crossing by the people before it widened it.

Underpasses

The Bench said it would have been more appropriate if the authorities had constructed underpasses, where the highway bisected or skirted villages.

The court also asked the State why underpasses could not be constructed on NH 7 when they had been constructed on Tumkur Road.

Report filed

Advocate-General Uday Holla, appearing on behalf of the State, filed a report on connectivity to BIAL from Bangalore, as well as reports by the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation , Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike and the Public Works Department on projects taken up by them to improve infrastructure.

Agreeing with the court on the need to safeguard the lives of people living along Bellary Road, Mr. Holla said several measures such as installation of signal lights, marking zebra crossings and pedestrian crossings had been taken up. The NHAI was taking up construction of underpasses and other projects exclusively for ensuring pedestrian safety.

The Bench expressed unhappiness that the authorities needed a fortnight more to install lights on the stretch of road on NH 7, till the Trumpet Junction. It remarked that if the project had been given to a private firm, it would have completed the work long back.

The court asked the Airports Authority of India to file a report on air traffic in Bangalore by August 22 and reminded it that the 12-week deadline to file the report would expire on that date. Earlier, G.R. Mohan, one of the petitioners, filed an application seeking a direction to restrain the authorities from permitting the authorities to expand the BIAL airport.

The Bench has adjourned further hearing on the case to August 22.

The issue

Last week, The Hindu carried a report about the several deaths within the first five weeks of the inauguration of BIA and the lack of facilities for pedestrian crossing. Police records revealed that 17 people were killed and 36 injured in 66 accidents on the 19-km stretch between Yelahanka and the airport. No fewer than 550 motorists had been penalised for speeding.

Negotiating the traffic has become a daily ordeal for residents.

The police say they find it impossible to monitor the constant flow of vehicles, sometimes at speeds as high as even 150 kmph, in the absence of traffic lights and adequate lighting.

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