Finally BDA and Traffic Police seem to have woken up to the traffic problem at KR Puram junction (opposite railway station). BDA is proposing to widen the roads leading to the junction (on either side of the cable bridge).
The main hurdle to the project is the narrow junction opposite the railway station. Though there is ample space to widen the road, the land is owned by the Railways and they are refusing to give up the land.
However BDA is proposing an alternative. They plan to acquire govt land in the vicinity of the railway station and give this to the railways in exchange for the land next to the road. This proposal was submitted to SW Railways more than 3 weeks back. The Traffic police represented by Mr Praveen Sood, was also part of this meeting called by BDA.
SW Railways had started the construction of ticket counters in this land next to the road. They had responded positively by stopping any further construction. But nothing has moved since then. This is a high traffic density junction. The stretch is part of the ring road and also links Hosur Main road to Bellary road and Tumkur road (NH4 and NH7) and is also a vital link between the city and Whitefield area.
Even by the most optimistic estimates a person traveling to Whitefield spends on an average half an hour’s time here every day. Even if half of the workforce working in Whitefield take this route (the only other route to Whitefield is the old airport road) that is 20,000 people (only from the Whitefield area). If the junction is decongested, the travel time will reduce to 10 mins (5mins each way), that’s a saving of 20 mins. That is 20000 x 20 mins – around 6667 man hours saved per day!!!.
Industries (Devesh sir are you listening?) and Praja should pressurize SW Railways to accept this proposal. How about some petitions to SW Railways? Praja members with contacts in Railways, please try to find out the status.
The other major problem in this region – Benganahalli railway underpass, God save the people who have to pass through this. Oh by the way the Railways have put up some ads on the railway bridge. It is like the Railways telling us – you better stop, see these ads and then proceed - and repeat these steps atleast 5-6 times everytimes you have to pass through this underpass.
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Positive Developement
News article in Times of India (26th July Issue).. hope something comes out of this PIL.
NH-4 widening: notices issued
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Bangalore: The high court on Friday ordered notices to the Union and state governments with regard to PIL seeking widening of NH-4 at Benniganahalli railway underbridge on Old Madras Road.
The division Bench, headed by Justice Manjula Chellur, ordered notices to union road tranport ministry, state PWD, South Western Railway, BWSSB and Bescom on a petition filed by former MLA Ivan Nigli.
“Old Madras Road narrows to 35 feet at Benniganahalli RUB. The NH is six-lane highway and this 100-foot-long, narrow stretch is causing traffic snarls resulting in long jams for 1 kilometre on either side.
The condition during peak hours is chaotic. This has resulted in extra fuel consumption. The authorities, who constructed a cable-stayed bridge, loop flyover six years ago to ease traffic, have failed to address traffic bottlenecks and congestion,” the petitioner stated.
Railways is a criminal organisation
The railways refused to give up 700 sq feet of land for the Rammurthynagar Underpass. Imagine, an organisation that is spinning money in 30,000 crores or excess and highly profitable is not able to give up 700 sq feet of waste land.
Not just this, but they even wanted to shift Colonel Bailey's dungeon in Srirangapatna with scant regard to it's historic importance. It is not that they could have not afforded to purchase extra land from farmers, they could have even made farmers crorepatis.
They do not clean Bangalore City Station and yet want a world class train station at Patna, Bihar.
The railway mafia is filled with Biharis who just want to use Karnataka like an ATM machine. Contrast this with Tamil Nadu where they obey all orders by Karunanidhi.
restraint, please!
Cadambi avare'
Can I use the privileged status of being 'sirred' by many of the 'prajagalu' to advice a bit of restraint in the language used by you, please! Criminal elements are not confined to just one state or organisation. And, the effort of PRAJA is after all to try and clean them all up as far as possible. But, let's do it in a civil way. Trust you appreciate.
Muralidhar Rao