Finally, Kasavanahalli and Haralur main roads will be widened, but…

By Anuksha Dey

After a year’s wait, the groundwork for the widening of Siddapura Road and Haralur Main Road in Kasavanahalli has begun. However, land acquisition still remains to be completed and the project may get delayed further due to the 14-day lockdown. 

Plans to widen Siddapura and Haralur Main Road

The road widening project, announced in 2020, is part of BBMP’s Revised Master Plan 2015 which recommends widening of all the major roads, according to the IRC standards to prevent traffic jams. However, the project was delayed due to complications in land acquisition. The project scheduled to begin around April-May last year, was further delayed due to last year’s Covid-19 crisis. With bhoomi puja completed, and an amount of ₹ 9 crore allocated to the project, the work is delayed yet again despite BBMP’s announcement that the construction work would continue as usual.

Unfinished land acquisition survey

“We have not started work on Siddapura and Haralur Main Road as we are waiting for the land acquisition to get over,” BBMP’s assistant executive engineer (AEE) Sandesh Shetty told Residents Watch. “One property survey was underway before the lockdown, but the surveyor hasn’t finished the work yet. After the survey is done, we will issue a notification and begin the job.”

Vishnu Prasad of Kasavanahalli Development Forum, and a resident of the area, told Residents Watch: “About a month ago, they planned to begin the widening by June. But now, with the Covid situation and migrant labourers leaving to their hometowns, it would be unfair for us to expect that there will be good progress on the project.”

Why junction upgrade and road widening should be done together

Prasad recommends BBMP to use the curfew period to improve the design of the road. “Mobility should be the first priority,” he says. “Road widening without improving the junctions will only lead to a chicken and egg situation. They should acquire the land and increase the point of entry and exit at the junction.” The Kaikundrahalli junction does not allow buses to take a U-turn. “If the road beyond the junction is widened, while the junction is being upgraded, more vehicles will be allowed to enter the already-congested area.” He believes the Haralur and Kaikondrahalli junction should be turned into a signal-free corridor through an underpass to ease the congestion.