Hebbal Flyover turns nightmare for city; this can't go on, say protesters

Rachana Ramesh | NT

Bengaluru: It takes just over an hour for an air traveller to fly from Bengaluru to Kochi but reaching the swanky Kempegowda International Airport (KIAL) in the city's outskirts takes at least three hours if you reside in the southern reaches of the city.

And not just the distance, what makes the journey intolerably long are the umpteen traffic bottlenecks on the way, particularly on the Hebbal Flyover stretch. So it was no surprise to find Congress workers trying to make the best of the chaos by staging a protest near Hebbal Flyover on Monday demanding an answer to the traffic woes.

Former Ministers Krishna Byre Gowda and Ramalinga Reddy demanded an action plan to decongest the traffic that is clogging the city’s arterial network. Not to mention the hundreds of potholes which continue to dot the roads endangering lives despite the attempts by the civic body, BBMP to fill them up.

Ramalinga Reddy, the state Congress working president said 20 people have died because of potholes but the government has not learnt its lesson. According to him, the BDA chairman SR Vishwanath himself uses the Hebbal stretch every day and has not even tried to bring up the issue with his seniors and ensure relief for the common man.

Krishna Byre Gowda claimed that people who were once investing in the state have now left the city due to its poor infrastructure. ''Visit any flyover and you will spot a traffic jam. People are fed up with potholes,” he said. “The police are fed up trying to manage this stretch. The government cancelled a tender to construct an elevated flyover from Chalukya circle,” said Hebbal MLA Byrathi Suresh.

“When Siddaramaiah was CM, he had released funds of Rs 82 crore for the purpose of road widening, which was initiated in the year 2017 but stopped in 2019. The answer: Metro is on the way. No alternates are being implemented to manage Hebbal Flyover, CBI Road and Mekhri Circle, which are always congested,” he added.