Irritated and tired by the inaction of the BBMP over the widening of the Sarjapur Road, many Bengalureans had prepared to hit the streets on Saturday afternoon.
But curiously enough the police forced protesters to withdraw their application after a section of property owners who would lose their property reportedly asked permission to protest at the same place.As a result, some of the residents welfare associations addressed the media over the need of the road to be widened.
“The two-lane road has become a one-and-a-half lane road due to encroachments. People are forced to stand on the road at the Wipro Junction. At some places, the BWSSB will dump the silt from the drains on the road itself,” Rohin, a resident of the area said.
The DPR of the project was released in 2016 but work never took off. On Saturday, residents also petitioned the CM, MLA, and MP on the same issue.
On the other hand, people who will have to lose their property are unhappy with the Transfer of Development Right (TDR) way of compensation, Instead, they want immediate cash settlement.
Rohin added, “There are rumours that landowners are opposing the project but that it not true. They just are opposing the TDR process. We are telling the government to settle the dispute with them but widen our roads which was decided in 2006 (RMP 2015).”
In a press note, Sarjapur road Parisare Abhivrudhi Sahaya Hasta (SPARSH) demanded release of more funds if required to immediately finish the project and all arterial roads for Sarjapur Road and Kasavanahalli Road to be developed. They argue that more than two lakh people have moved into this part of the city.
They say that with the increase in population, the number of vehicles has also gone up drastically.
In addition, they want a holistic traffic management plan which includes new BMTC routes, walkable pavements and also the release of funds for the third phase of the metro.