BCC bonanza: Flyovers at every step

BANGALORE: Four flyovers on a road which doesn’t need even one! Each flyover at a distance of just 250 metres. Costing Rs 10 crore each. Perhaps, you won’t find even a fly flying over these!
What to do, the BCC is like this only! Corporators’ ambitions fly high. They demand numerous flyovers and grade separators for their wards. And get them sanctioned too, at least on paper.After all, this is the election year. Among the 100 corporators, unfortunately, only half of them could get their ‘wish list’ approved: like several subways, underpasses and flyovers.
For instance: Five flyovers approved for ward 44, Jagajeevanramnagar — between Kamala Nehru and Raayapura; V.S. Garden; Venkataswamy Garden; P.K. Quarters; Harikunte main road.
On the intermediate Ring Road connecting Bannerghatta road to Mysore road, four flyovers have been proposed — Kadrenahalli cross, Deve Gowda petrol bunk, Katriguppe near Food World and Bannerghatta road junction. The distance between DG petrol bunk and Food World on Ring Road is not even 200 metres! Same is the case with ward 60 Pattabhiramanagara where four pedestrian subways have been proposed. Ward 98, Ganganagar, will get two subways, one flyover and one bridge.
The normally-laid-back BCC council okayed 65 additional resolutions in a jiffy on the last day of the 2004-05 budget discussion last month.
The resolutions have been signed by Mayor P.R. Ramesh and sent to BCC commissioner M.R. Sreenivasa Murthy to prepare estimates and appoint consultants for detailed project reports. “I have received the signed copy of the resolutions three days ago.We are examining them and necessary action will be taken after studying the projects,’’ Sreenivasa Murthy told The Times of India.
In all, the BCC has approved 54 grade separators at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore. This, when the BCC has not cleared contractors’ bills amounting to Rs 300 crore from nine months.
“For a city of global standing, we need greater maturity from people who plan projects. Being ambitious is fine, but the plans should be feasible. None, apart from the Congress floor leader and the Mayor, were aware of them. Not a word was mentioned on the financial implications,’’ BCC officials said.
Will these flyovers get off the ground? How does BCC propose to fund these ambitious projects? Even God doesn’t know!