Elevated corridor will eat into tree lanes, says man who walked along proposed stretch

BENGALURU: Even as Beku and Beda debates on the proposed elevated corridor project continue, urban researcher Amogh Arakali, 30, walked the length of the proposed alignment. His conclusion: Elevated corridor should be the last option to address Bengaluru’s traffic problem.
Amogh, a resident of Malleswaram, pointed out that elevated corridors come at the cost of some of the last surviving tree canopies in the city.
While Amogh walked almost all along the length of 22-km north-south corridor alignment connecting Hebbal flyover to Central Silk Board, he also covered parts of the proposed east-west corridor (Mehkri Circle to Peenya) alignment as well.
“After the government floated tenders, I got a chance to look at the conceptual document of the project with the map of the corridor alignment. As a citizen-volunteer, I decided to take up this exercise,” he told TOI.
“In total, I walked for about 25km. All along I took photographs of tree lanes, government structures, heritage buildings, public spaces and ecologically important places, which may get affected once the project is implemented. Though it was not a vigorous study on the potential impact, all I wanted to have is a broader overview,” he said.
Some of the city’s tree lanes will take a beating if the project is implemented, he said. “In fact, when I started my walk, my purpose was to count trees. But at some point, I lost the count. There are so many trees. Along the proposed alignment of north-south corridor, there are very few stretches where there are no trees,” he added.
This apart, there are many old government buildings, heritage structures, rajakaluves and wetlands. “I wonder what will be the impact on them. Also, in some patches, the alignment is running parallel to the existing Metro corridor. Some pedestrian overbridges and underpasses may have to be dismantled. How will the government manage all this?” he wondered.
Asked about what he thinks should be the alternative, Amogh said: “The government should first focus and invest more on augmenting public transport, promote cycling, improve pedestrian infrastructure and shared auto system. I don’t think elevated corridor is an easy solution to our traffic problems.”