The Deccan Chronicle 09.08.2010
BBMP to seek people’s views on road project
Bengaluru, Aug. 8: Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike(BBMP) commissioner Siddaiah has said that efforts would be made to dispel the doubts people have about the road widening project, which has been put on hold following opposition from the people.
The roads identified for widening would also be reviewed in view of the opposition from people, he said.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Mr Siddaiah said the minister in charge of Bengaluru city, R. Ashok and mayor S.K. Nataraj have already announced a review of the road widening project. A final decision would be taken after a meeting with the mayor. Referring to the issue of the road widening notification by the state government, he said this would also be looked into after a survey of the roads. If necessary, the notification would be withdrawn and a fresh one would be issued.
The BBMP is planning to organize interactions with Resident Welfare Associations (RWA) and the public to take them into confidence on the project. The mayor and Mr Ashok feel public opinion should be sought before roads are widened, he said, adding that the work in the newly added areas of BBMP would however continue as decided.
“After the meeting with the mayor, we will have a clear idea of the project and will issue a directive accordingly to the BBMP major roads division,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Nataraj said the road widening project has not been shelved completely and has only been halted temporarily. The BBMP will have to mobilise resources and convince the state government to provide adequate rehabilitation or monetary compensation on par with the market value along with Transferable Development Rights (TDR) to the affected citizens, he said.
