Bengaluru: Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya has urged the state government and Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Limited (B-Smile) not to impose more flyovers on the city without conducting public consultations and making the detailed project reports (DPRs) available to the public. His statement comes in response to B-Smile's decision to invite tenders for nine short and medium-length elevated corridors across Bengaluru, at an estimated cost of Rs 3,100 crore.
Proposed projects under scrutiny
Most of the proposed flyovers fall within the Bangalore South parliamentary constituency, which Surya represents. In a letter addressed to B-Smile director BS Pralhad on Saturday, Surya demanded an explanation regarding the rationale, technical feasibility, and projected impact of these projects. He argued that they are being pushed forward without transparency or public scrutiny.
The projects mentioned in the letter include an elevated corridor from Minerva Circle to Hudson Circle with a loop flyover to Town Hall, a 5.2 km elevated corridor connecting Old Madras Road to Electronics City through Swami Vivekananda Metro station, Indiranagar, Old Airport Road, and Hosur Road up to Silk Board Junction at a cost of Rs 852 crore, and another 5.3 km elevated corridor from Shoolay Circle to St John's Hospital Road via Anepalya and Adugodi Junctions at a cost of Rs 519 crore.
Lack of prior approval
Surya pointed out that these projects have allegedly not received prior approval from the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA), which is empowered to review and clear major mobility projects in the city. In the absence of such scrutiny, he argued, it remains unclear whether the flyovers are backed by scientific traffic planning or would merely shift congestion from one junction to another.
Citing the example of the Ragigudda flyover, Surya said poorly planned elevated corridors could worsen bottlenecks instead of solving them. “The high-speed elevated corridor ends at a busy traffic signal near Aurobindo Junction, merely shifting the Central Silk Board traffic bottleneck further down the road and causing severe congestion during peak hours,” he noted.
Demand for public participation
Surya also objected to the DPRs not being placed in the public domain despite the scale and long-term impact of these projects. “Bengaluru cannot be run like a contractors’ playground,” he asserted, insisting that public participation must form the basis of major infrastructure decisions in the city. He called for wider public discussion before implementation, emphasizing that the people of Bengaluru deserve transparency and accountability in urban planning.
