BBMP awaits BTP nod for underpass on Old Airport Road
BENGALURU: Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Project division, which completed underpasses at HAL and Kundalahalli on Old Airport Road in February 2023, is awaiting permission from Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) since last December to begin work on the Rs 19.5 crore Wind Tunnel Junction underpass for the Domlur to Whitefield signal-free corridor project.
BBMP officials say police denied permission, citing elections and VVIP and VIP movement on the route. Now there is all possibility that the traffic department may come up with ‘monsoon season’ as the reason for delay in giving No Objection Certificate (NOC).
A senior engineer from the Projects division of BBMP said that on the side of the ISRO compound, BBMP had acquired land and later laid a side road to divert traffic.
It was expecting land from NAL and other private people opposite ISRO for a similar service road to divert vehicles, but traffic police denied permission.
“We require a maximum of 90 days to complete work, but traffic police is not giving permission, hence we are unable to complete the signal-free Domlur to Whitefield project. We approached the traffic police in December 2023 and still there is no green signal from them,” said the BBMP engineer.
Lashing out at BBMP for its shoddy road work and nature of delaying civic projects, a senior traffic official from BTP said police cannot take risk as BBMP cannot honour its commitment.
“They are not able to maintain roads and potholes keep resurfacing. The Ejipura flyover has been hanging fire since 2020. The Old Airport route is preferred for VVIPs like the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, Governor and Central ministers. If BBMP takes up the work and delays, not just VVIPs, even motorists will suffer on a daily basis,” said a senior traffic police official.
