steel flyover project

Hebbal

Siddaramaiah

The controversialbetween Basaveshwara Circle (Chalukya Circle) in the heart of the city andis officially off. The Government informed the High Court on Tuesday that the project has been dropped. Following this, the HC disposed a public interest litigation which challenged the construction of the flyover.The project, first announced whenwas the chief minister was revived under HD Kumaraswamy. But it has been opposed by the public, civic activists and environmentalists all along. The project was first proposed in 2016 and was to be 6.5 kms long and cost about Rs 2,200 crore.The government had contended that environment clearance was not necessary for the project as it fell inside the BBMP limits. Around 800 trees were also needed to be cut if the project went ahead. Questions about lack of environmental impact study and consultation with the public did not seem to deter the government.The government made efforts to show the need for the project. The BDA even released a 3D animation video to show the viability of the flyover and its use. However, continued protests and legal challenges posed put the government on the backfoot and a reluctant government said it was shelving the project.But after the Assembly elections, there were murmurs of the project being renewed. In January this year, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara announced that the project was being renewed. This led to a fresh round of protests. The government's submission to the court on Tuesday has come as a victory for the environmentalists.