Bengaluru: IT hub Whitefield has seen a lot of ‘action’ of late. Pedestrian traffic has increased and yet there isn’t a single bridge or skywalk to make travelling a little easier for commuters. Other common complaints in Whitefield: dearth of well-laid footpaths, poor illumination of roads, careless parking of vehicles, absence of pedestrian-dedicated zebra crossings and pedestrian crossings.
Sanjeev Dyamannavar, member of Praja RAAG points out, “There is not a single skywalk in this locality. Areas like ITPL, Phoenix Mall, Kadugodi railway station are frequented by huge crowds. BBMP should construct a few skywalks at these points. ” He added, “The problem is that BBMP is not looking for permanent solutions. After much public pressure, a foot overbridge was built at Whitefield Railway Station but it isn’t connected properly to the platforms.”
Each intersection has a line-up with a monstrous fleet of BMTC Volvos, cars and trucks and this makes crossing the busy roads nothing less than a perilous adventure. Ragav Kumar, a BPO employee, points out, “All kinds of people come to work at Whitefield. Pedestrians, senior citizens and physically challenged persons are having problems while crossing congested roads.’’
Kalki S, a regular commuter, says, “We have been hearing that BBMP will soon build some skywalks but nothing has materialized. Besides the government bodies, schools and residents’ welfare associations should also get involved in making such decisions.” Recently the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had floated tenders for building 100 skywalks on the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model.
So Whitefield might get a few skywalks soon!
