Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)
Bengaluru, Jan 2: The issue of construction of steel bridge here, which was mired in protests on account of damage to environment and allegations of corruption involved with the project, has again been raked by deputy chief minister (DCM), Dr G Parameshwara. The announcement made by Parameshwara that it has been decided to construct the steel bridge in public interest has the potential of giving rise to banners of protest.
Speaking to media persons at BDA quarters here on Tuesday, Parameshwara said that during the regime of the previous Congress-led government, construction of steel bridge had been conceived and elaborate preparations had been made. He noted that after the project evoked lot of support and opposition, it had been shelved. He said that in the interests of the general public, it has been decided to execute this project.
Insisting that the bridge is the need of the hour to ease traffic congestion, he stated that the project would be finalised only after collecting opinion of the public about its objective, cost, and uses.
Parameshwara has been handling Bengaluru development portfolio too. His statement on steel bridge, which was made on the first day of the New Year, was instantly opposed by former chief minister, B S Yeddyurappa. Yeddyurappa advised the government not to take decisions in haste and wanted to know the objective behind taking up the project all of a sudden now. Water resources minister, D K Shivakumar, came out in support of the DCM on the issue. He said that if he was in Siddaramaiah's position when the steel bridge was conceived, he would never have backtracked from executing this project. Chief minister, Kumaraswamy, who was in the opposition when the bridge was mooted last time, had bitterly opposed it. People are curious to know his reaction to the project now.
Parameshwara explained that the steel bridge between Chalukya Circle and Esteem Mall is a necessity and that some people had opposed it because of political reasons. "We will keep all information about the project in public domain. Only after gathering public opinion about the aim, cost, and uses of the bridge, it would be finalised. With this bridge, the time of travel from Chalukya Circle to Esteem Mall will come down from the current 45 minutes to 20 minutes. Any defects in the plan would be set right," he stated.
Noting that environmentalists and Kumaraswamy had strongly opposed the project in the past, Yeddyurappa insisted that the issue should be discussed meaningfully in the assembly before it can be executed. Shivakumar said that there is no alternative to the traffic snarls experienced on this route now other than building the bridge. He noted that corruption was alleged when the project was planned during the previous government. He called upon opposition to point out if any mistakes were committed in the project to help them to set such things right and move ahead.