The issue of road widening promises to get more charged as residents, traders and property owners of Dr Rajkumar Road threaten to take out emotive protests against the BBMP’s development plans for the road.

This 5 km stretch of road in northwest Bangalore, from Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Factory Ltd to Prasanna Theatre, has been earmarked by BBMP for construction of a signal-free corridor. The property owners and tenants along Rajkumar Road, led by Citizen’s Support Group (CSG) Dr Rajkumar Road, are calling the plan an “urban disaster,” and are opposing the road widening project with the argument that road widening is unnecessary and illegal.

Dr Rajkumar road which the BBMP plans to widen. Pic: Karunya keshav.

“For the sake of lifeless vehicles, you are killing people with life,” says an emotional A S N Kumar, property owner and core member of CSG, as he explains that road widening along this stretch is unnecessary.

Named after the thespian of Kannada cinema, Dr Rajkumar Road is one of the earliest 80 ft roads in Bangalore. Hospitals, health care centres, temples, colleges, small shops, residences, and commercial complexes are located along the stretch. In recent times, the road has also seen the development of an extensive residential and commercial complex by the Brigade Group of developers.

The protests also allege that although the BBMP has submitted plans to extend the road to up to 30m, markings on the walls indicate that at some places, this may go up to 34 m.

In the second week of August 2009, the BBMP announced plans to develop a signal free corridor along the stretch, at an estimated cost of Rs 125 crore. A notification  to this effect was put in newspapers, a copy of which is with the citizens.

According to the Citizen’s Support Group, this notification also mentioned that road widening would be carried out as part of the project. “The next thing we knew, our properties were slated for demolition,” says Kumar.

Work began on the corridor, on 21 October 2009. However, no date has been given for the start of the demolition.

BBMP claims widening necessary, citizens argue otherwise

BBMP assessment as given during the announcement of the project says that the road sees traffic of 15,000 passenger car units (PCU) per hour. “This means that there are approximately 300 vehicles passing by every minute. The signal at Navarang is three minutes. You mean to say that 900 vehicles pile up?” asks Kumar, dismissing this figure as improbable. He adds that CSG is working on getting an independent assessment.

According to the citizens, currently, Dr Rajkumar Road had “artificial, huge traffic”. With metro construction work in progress along the parallel west of Chord Road, much of the heavy vehicle traffic originally meant for WOC Road has now been diverted here. According to CSG, if High Tension Vehicles (HTV) traffic is moved back to the parallel WOC Road, traffic will reduce by 40 per cent. In addition, they quote BMRCL’s estimate that traffic in the area will decrease by 30 per cent once the Metro is operational.

Members of Citizen’s Support Group (CSG), Dr Rajkumar Road. Pic: Karunya Keshav.

Also, the group insists that bus traffic will be further reduced as KSRTC goes ahead with its plans to decongest the Majestic area, by shifting many buses out of Kempe Gowda Bus Stand. This move, announced in November 2009  would not only free up land for Metro construction work in the area, but would also ease the bus traffic in Rajajinagar, from where many buses enter the Majestic area.

BBMP chief engineer (Major Roads) T N Chikkarayappa does not agree with this assessment. He says the BBMP has considered all options, and adds, “This is a major link. Naturally there will be traffic.”

“Traffic management is more important than blind road widening,” says Narasimha Prasad, core member of CSG, suggesting that the authorities explore alternative roads, and one way systems before resorting to widening.

Citizens are rejecting BBMP’s TDR compensation

The traders and property owners say they have not been officially approached by the government with the offer of TDR or compensation.

“We have intimated the Commissioner via legal notice, from the entire Rajkumar Road, that we don’t want TDR.  TDR has been rejected by all on Rajkumar Road, except for one or two (such as St. Theresa’s Missionary Hospital and properties owned by Congress state unit working president Mr DK Shivkumar),” says Kumar.

The CSG says that if the BBMP is prepared to explain to them the necessity of the project, and offer them compensation and two years time to move out, they are willing to consider giving up their land. However, they allege that as of now, the government agency’s actions contravene various laws.

Legality challenged

Kumar complains that the BBMP did the markings on October 2nd, after 7 pm. “This marking is illegal. It amounts to trespassing. We were not aware when they were going to come.”

Karunya Keshav is a multimedia journalist and writer based in Bangalore.

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