Say no to road widening in Bangalore

Main Source URLs:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/no-to-road-widening-in-bangalore

http://praja.in/files/road\%20widening\%20BSS_0.pdf

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/save-pedestrian-infrastructure

40,000 properties in Bangalore are likely to be demolished to widen 227 roads by displacing 38,000 to 2 lakh people for private vehicles. Pedestrians have no footpaths to walk. Road widenings must be stopped. Homes, properties and livelihoods of the citizens must be saved. Roads should be accessible for all sections of society.

With a lot of fanfare, BBMP has taken up widening of more than 220 roads across the city claiming that 'Road widening is inevitable to address the massive traffic woes'. Equally inevitable is the demolition of thousands of houses and shops - in whole or in part - displacing lakhs of people.

The process has started with many houses already flattened by the JCBs. There is palpable anxiety among the people in general and those who have received eviction notice in particular.

Save Bangalore Committee - a city level platform of citizens' forums - has raised the following serious questions and put forth relevant demands.

QUESTIONS: http://praja.in/files/road\%20widening\%20BSS_0.pdf

01. No doubt, traffic congestion is the bane of Bangalore city and urgent remedial measures are required. But is widening of roads, the most optimal measure? Which roads are most appropriate for widening and how is it decided? Are there other alternative options that do not warrant displacement? Has BBMP conducted any scientific study on these matters?

02. It is common knowledge that BMTC - the notorious public transport service - is the principal cause behind the ever-increasing number of vehicles on the city's roads that has crossed 32 lakhs. BMTC and the government should provide convenient, reliable and affordable transport service with sufficient number of buses covering all parts of the city. The number of ordinary buses has not kept pace with the growing population at all; but, air-conditioned 'Volvo' buses - that charge 4-5 times more than the regular fare and run empty during non-peak hours - are seen more and more on city's roads! Is it enough to declare a 'Bus Day' for cheap publicity? If public transport service is improved, it naturally results in lesser vehicle density. What measures are taken to meeting this growing demand?

03. Work has already begun on Metro rail project. Metro has promised a carrying capacity of 12.22 lakhs in 2011 (and 19.72 lakhs in 2021). If this snail-paced work is completed on schedule and rapid, reliable, inexpensive service is guaranteed, it is very likely that the number of private vehicles on the roads comes down. And, there are talks of Mono rail/LRT, BRT systems that promise to connect areas as far as Outer Peripheral Ring Road and act as feeder to Metro. Has BBMP considered all these aspects while deciding to widen the roads?

04. Has BBMP conducted an impact study on environment, green canopy cover and livelihood of the displaced people? What efforts are made to interact with concerned and affected citizens upfront and resolve the - questions and anxieties? Is it too much to expect that a project meant for 'public interest' be preceded by a 'public interaction'? How can a responsible elected civic agency like BBMP simply issue notices to people to vacate themselves or get vacated forcibly, that too, at their own cost? Is it democracy or autocracy?

05. Those stripped of their land or building, get neither money nor alternate site - traditional forms of compensation in such large infra projects. Instead, they get TDRs (Transferrable Development Rights). But the havoc wrecked by TDRs in Mumbai is well-known today. Private developers amassed TDRs under projects meant to rehabilitate slum dwellers in Mumbai. They used these TDRs (called 'Slum TDRs') to expand their property in prime areas like Bandra, Chembur, Khar, Santa Cruz that has led to haphazard and unrestrained development. This has resulted in poor quality construction, drinking water crisis, endless traffic snarls, packed roads and so on. What if this happens to Bangalore leading to a bigger infrastructure crisis than solving perhaps, a smaller one? TDR rates - similar to stock quotes - are market driven and private developers who can be influential manipulators are eyeing TDRs. So, if the TDR rates are down, the retail owners who surrender their land for TDRs could be the ultimate losers!

06. If you question the rationale behind TDRs, BBMP dodges it with an excuse: 'What to do? Our coffers are empty'! But why are they short of funds when they have an assured revenue worth thousands of crores? They collect property tax; they have JNNURM aid; Chief Minister (CM) Yeddyurappa has announced a fabulous grant of Rs.18,872 crores (driven largely by loans) in the last state budget meant for Bangalore infrastructure development in the next 3 years that includes roads and transport. In 2009-10, in terms of property tax, Chennai Corporation collected Rs.500 crore, Delhi Corporation collected Rs.700 crores but BBMP collected Rs.750 crores! What has BBMP done to arrest corruption and massive pilferage of public funds?

07. Even if people take recourse to legal action to get these glaring policy anomalies addressed, the courts are washing their hands off with a standard disclaimer that these infra projects are in 'larger public interest'. But, what is the prime mover of these projects? Public interest or the interest of politician-developer-bureaucrat nexus? Otherwise, why there is a pall of secrecy? Why the requests for information under RTI Act typically evoke no response from the Palike?

08. The politician-builder-bureaucrat evil nexus is garnering a large share of funds in the infrastructure corpus. Who will repay all the money borrowed from various sources including World Bank for the so-called development? Us or them?

09. Will this road widening scheme end with the current scope? Once this process - so obviously meant for the benefit of builders, mall owners and politicians - starts, will it not engulf the whole city like a wild fire?

10. Significantly, there are experts who have questioned this method of addressing traffic problem by widening roads. "Widening roads to ease traffic congestion is ineffective and expensive at the same time, it's like trying to cure obesity by loosening your belt." says Roy Kienitz, Executive Director of Washington - based Surface Transport Policy Project (STPP). An analysis of the respected Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) shows that the capacity improvement plans like widening of roads has had virtually no impact on traffic congestion in major US urban areas in the last 15 years. Has BBMP considered these expert opinions?

Justice M.F. Saldanha, former High Court judge said that all the 28 public interest litigations that were filed in the Karnataka High Court against the project were rejected. He opined that courts too have a duty to uphold people's right.

"We expect justice from the courts for the masses. Courts should also understand people's miseries," he said.

CONCLUSION:

Halting a madness Deccan Herald - DH Edit / Editorial - Saturday, Jul 03, 2010

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/78896/halting-madness.html

Road widen-ing is not the only solution for B'lore

Increasing the use of public transport, encouraging the construction of parking lots for vehicles at convenient points, ensuring that every large commercial building has adequate parking, halting the movement of heavy vehicles during peak hours, denying the registration of vehicles for those who already own a certain number of vehicles are some of the measures that should be considered.

We the petition signers request those concerned to accept our following demands:

http://praja.in/files/road\%20widening\%20BSS_0.pdf

01. Ensure that people's interest and NOT the interest of politician-bureaucrat-builder nexus is the focal point in all infrastructure development works including road widening.

02. Stop all road widening activities immediately and appoint a quasi-judicial body to oversee all matters related to infrastructure development.

03. Consider the reduction in traffic density due to Metro/Mono/LRT/BRT projects while deciding on road widening. Ensure on-time completion of these ongoing projects. Ensure reliable, affordable and rapid rail transit service.

04. Improve BMTC-managed public road transport service. Ensure sufficient number of buses connecting all parts of the city. Ensure optimal frequency. Ensure it is affordable to low income groups.

05. Scrap TDRs immediately.

06. Any road widening should be taken ONLY after:
clearance from the quasi judicial body
taking concerned citizens and forums into confidence
adequate compensation over and above market price and rehabilitation before any acquisition of property
protecting the interest of displaced tenants

07. Stop awarding projects to private contractors and builders. Government and civic agencies should take up all infrastructure development activities.

08. Ensure ecological balance, ensure that overall green cover is replenished and enriched by replanting even if felling of trees is warranted as the last resort.

09. Take immediate measures to arrest corruption in BBMP, BDA, BMRDA and other civic agencies and ensure stringent punishment to guilty.

10. Take measures to prevent vertical growth in the central parts of the city.

11. Make all information on planned on on-going infrastructure development projects freely available; provide all required information for queries under RTI Act.

12. Protect heritage sites, take stringent measures to prohibit any construction in and around such sites.

13. Enforce mandatory parking space in large multi-storey commercial, industrial or residential buildings.