Watch the demolition of a Rs 21 crore flyover in Bangalore!

The demolition of the Rs 21-crore Jayadeva flyover that began on January 20 is slowly being erased from Bangalore’s landscape. One resident documents it before it goes away completely.

For more on traffic diversions due to this activity, you can click here.

MA Ravinder says that the dismantling of the flyover appeared to be “too labour-intensive”. “But then… perhaps, it works out cheaper that way!” he tweeted. “A few weeks back saw 3-4 workers manually transporting steel beams and rods one at a time some distance away, stacking them, and then walking back to pick up more.”

Sivaraj felt that the operation was avoidable. “Unnecessary demolition,” he says. “It’s a waste of public money and human effort. Please look at Guindy Kathipara metro flyover in Chennai. The metro flyover was constructed above the existing flyover with the help of tall pillars.”

There could be an element of truth in Sivaraj’s statement. In a press statement, Leo Saldanha of the Environment Support Group, an NGO, has stated that the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the Metro does not conform to the guidelines of the Town and Country Planning Act. In the same vein, he adds that the Jayadeva flyover demolition could have been avoided if the Metro’s North-South corridor was underground. At the time, the Metro officials argued that going underground was way more expensive, but the delays and demolition has only shot up the costs.