Residents of Bengaluru’s Indiranagar gathered at CMH Park on Sunday to oppose the proposed elevated corridor project being pursued by Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Limited (B-SMILE), calling for the cancellation of tenders and an immediate halt to work on the planned network.
The meeting focused on the proposed 75-km network of elevated corridors and its possible impact on neighbourhoods and traffic movement across the city. Participants criticised the government’s decision to proceed with the project, describing the process as hasty.
The residents adopted three demands to submit to the Karnataka government. Their first demand was the cancellation of tenders and an immediate halt to work on the proposed elevated corridors. They also asked the government to reallocate the Rs 13,000-crore mobility budget within 90 days, based on guidance from the Indian Institute of Science, and to provide greater transparency in decisions concerning the funds.
The third demand was the immediate establishment of the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority, or BMLTA. The residents said the authority was necessary to ensure due process in decisions related to the city’s transport infrastructure.
The group plans to submit its demands to Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and urge the government to stop the proposed elevated corridor project. The residents’ objections centre on whether the planned flyover network would improve congestion and whether the proposed expenditure could be used more effectively for Bengaluru’s mobility needs.
Pravar, an architect who attended the meeting, said the available evidence indicated that the proposed flyover network would not ease congestion. “There is enough evidence to prove that the flyover will not improve congestion. It is a waste of taxpayer time and money,” he said.
Ananya S, a lawyer, said the project’s potential disadvantages outweighed its benefits and argued that the funds could be deployed more effectively. “The negative impacts outweigh any potential benefits — the same money can be spent much better,” she said.
The proposed corridor network has become the focus of opposition from residents who are seeking a review of the project, greater transparency over the mobility budget and a formal metropolitan transport authority for Bengaluru. The group’s next step is to submit its demands to the chief minister and seek a halt to the project.
