Karnataka: Controversial Bengaluru elevated corridor project still on agenda?

BENGALURU: The Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) report suggests the controversial Bengaluru elevated corridor project is still very much a part of the plan to reduce traffic congestion in the city.
Following strident protests from citizens, chief minister BS Yediyurappa, in September, had announced that his government had cancelled the first tender for the three packages of the Rs 25,000-crore project, which was proposed by the previous Congress-JD(S) coalition regime.
However, the CMP states, “92km of arterial roads have been proposed for the elevated road designed with prioritising movement of public transport vehicles, regulation on private vehicles and facilitation of inter-modal mobility.” It moots congestion or user fee on private vehicles using elevated corridors.
The CMP states there is a “need to augment capacity of arterial roads” in the central business district, as well as beyond the ORR. Since there are limitations to land acquisition in CBD areas, it suggests “road capacity augmentation through elevated roads”.
“Hence, the government is planning further augmentation of urban road capacity through elevated corridors, with particular attention to equitable allocation of road space, by prioritising movement of public transport vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists,” the report states.
It suggested the north-south and central ring corridors besides the second east-west corridor should be reviewed as there is a conflict with the Metro corridors.