“Even God himself cannot do anything within the next one, two, or three years,” to solve the traffic problem in Bengaluru, said Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar recently. God can’t save Bengaluru because he did not create the problems Bengaluru is facing. These are human-made problems, so humans alone have to solve them.
The Deputy CM assured that traffic conditions would improve once projects like tunnel roads and elevated corridors took shape. His plans include tunnel roads costing ₹40,000 crore for just 50 km; Sanchara Yukta at a cost of ₹3,000 crore; elevated corridors at ₹15,000 crore; a double-decker metro and road flyover project with the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP) share at ₹10,000 crore; white topping costing ₹6,000 crore; and a railway and flyover project for 40 km costing ₹25,000 crore, among others. His plan for solving Bengaluru’s traffic problem totals a humongous ₹1 lakh crore.
However, the positive spark is that he has accepted there are challenges and delays to taking up the Tunnel Road work “due to technical, financial, and land acquisition issues.” Hence, these solutions may take a decade to materialise!
Strategies to decongest Bengaluru’s traffic
Is there nothing that can be done to pluck the low-hanging fruits to decongest traffic within the next few years? Do we need God, or 2–3 years, to increase the BMTC bus fleet to 18,000, as recommended by experts? Can we not create BRTS lanes on all arterial roads? Or re-route buses by adopting the hub-and-spoke method, allowing large buses to travel between every bus stand on Bengaluru’s periphery, rather than just to Majestic, Shivajinagar, and K R Market?
Can we, as human beings, not increase the frequency of buses on arterial roads to 10 minutes during peak hours and 15 minutes at other times? Can we not ensure their reliability and provide last-mile connectivity at the same frequency by integrating public transport with private modes using alternative smaller vehicles like mini-buses, shared e-autos, and cycle-rickshaws? Do we need God to make public transport free for all?
Read more: Holes in tunnels: Glaring gaps in Bengaluru’s proposed Tunnel Road Project
Surely, once we undertake the above measures and provide frequent, reliable, and possibly free, public transport from every corner of the city, we do not need God, or two to three years to impose a congestion tax on private vehicles entering congested areas like in London; allow fresh car registrations only when a car is de-registered as in Singapore; impose graded parking fees even in residential areas; restrict the purchase of second and third cars, as in other developed cities we wish to emulate?
That the decision-makers of the BBMP have no vision for the long-term sustainability of the city is evident when they feel that imposing the kind of restrictions placed by Singapore on private cars — to promote sustainability and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — is “unthinkable” in our city. They also feel it is perfectly “desirable” to build tunnel roads that are against sustainability and SDGs! The irony of BBMP announcing the tunnel roads, elevated corridors and double-decker roads while hosting a recent event at BBMP that talks of sustainability, climate resilience, inclusivity and safety is being seen as ‘surreal’ by activists.
Read more: Ranked 15 overall, Bengaluru lags behind in two key SDGs
Prioritise public transport
Why does the government think that incentivising private vehicles through such projects should be the first thing that you do before prioritising and implementing the cheapest and quickest ways of improving and incentivising public transport to decongest traffic? When the share of public transport in Bengaluru is only 36%, why is it unthinkable to bring this up to 75% gradually which many other developed cities have achieved by simply incentivising public transport and disincentivising private vehicles? In another gross irony, the government has discouraged the use of public transport by raising BMTC’s fares and the BMRCL has added to it by jacking up Metro Rail fares.
Without waiting for God, can we not expedite the suburban rail system, which has been put on the back-burner; build circular suburban rail by simply extending the semi-circle track that exists now and double all the suburban rail tracks, which are quicker to implement and more effective in decongesting traffic than the tunnel roads?
Need to establish the Metropolitan Planning Committee
It is also true that God cannot, or will not, help if due process of law has not been followed in taking up all these projects. A Metropolitan Planning Committee (MPC) is constitutionally mandated to prepare a Draft Development Plan indicating the vision and strategy for integrated and coordinated development of Bengaluru’s metropolitan area as per the 74th Constitutional Amendment. Currently, Bangalore does not have a full-fledged MPC as there are no BBMP councillors who can be elected to the committee. Because BBMP elections haven’t been held in the last four and a half years. That’s why, the tunnel road project has not been discussed by the MPC, the constitutional body envisaged for planning for the Bengaluru Metropolitan Area.
Follow proper procedures
Many other due processes have been ignored. The Union ministry has recently approved the Bangalore Metro Phase 3 project, which requires the Karnataka government to set up a Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA) for coordinated planning. This includes the UMTA preparing a Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) and implementing a parking policy that mandates parking fees. However, the State government has not activated the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA), which was passed in December 2022.
Additionally, the Tunnel Road plan has not been referred to the BMLTA for approval; the BBMP plan is not part of the CMP approved in 2020; and the parking policy for BBMP, developed in 2021, has not been implemented even after three years. Ironically, under the BMLTA Act, no one shall initiate any project on urban mobility without obtaining prior approval from the Authority, and if they do, they shall be punished!
Another due process ignored, for which God cannot help, is that the government has not done the Environmental lmpact Assessment (ElA) for the project, claiming exemption. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) says the EIA Notification 2006 does not call for any detailed EIA and public hearing from the regulatory point of view, for this project. However, two documents have been issued recently by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) — ‘Constitution of panel of experts for tunnel projects’, dated September 6th, 2024 and ‘Checklist for submission of proposals of tunnel projects for technical review in MoRTH’ dated October 24th, 2024 that make ElA for tunnel roads necessary.
Assess the impact of haphazard development
But surely, if not God, due process should heed a judgement of the Supreme Court dated January 10th 2023, delivered by Justices BR Gavai and BV Nagarathna, in a case involving the adverse impact of haphazard urbanisation on Chandigarh’s environment. They cited an article that depicts how Bengaluru, once considered a ‘Garden City’, has been ruined by haphazard urban development. They appealed to all policymakers “to make necessary provisions for carrying out Environment Impact Assessment studies” before permitting urban development. So, this mandates that all the proposed tunnel roads, expressways and other projects must undergo EIA.
An aphorism that has gained wide circulation among all of Bengaluru’s citizenry is that of Enrique Penalosa who said, “An advanced city is not one where even the poor use cars, but rather one where even the rich use public transport.” Can the government make this the goal for a developed Bengaluru? Since God cannot solve Bengaluru’s problems, according to the Deputy CM, can the government itself achieve the above goal as “Government’s work is God’s work” as per the slogan atop the Vidhana Soudha?
The article pinpoints all the lacuna, missing links in Bengaluru’s Planning. Brand Bengaluru runs on ad hoc decision making, which is both unconstitutional and therefore not democratic. Ironically, it is the INC that swears to uphold the constitution nationally, but does not think it fit to do so here in Bengaluru!
Ironically, even the opposition parties are not taking up these issues to the government with the requisite strength and commitment. One is as shortsighted as the other and neither is bothered about the wellbeing of our city or its citizens. God help Bangaloreans!