Weekend or weekday, for hundreds of pedestrians attempting to cross the busy Mysuru Road near Kengeri Traffic and Transit Management Centre (TTMC) metro station, it is a daily risk they take competing with speeding vehicles. Towering over them is a pedestrian infrastructure holding the key to their problem. But the contractor has allegedly stalled the construction work of the skywalk since the last few weeks over pending bills.
The Kengeri TTMC metro station was opened to the public in August 2021. It has been over nine months since, the authorities are still buying time to provide a safe passage for pedestrians. Pedestrians and metro passengers who are risking their lives to cross the road have demanded the authorities to expedite the construction of the skywalk.
Chetan S., a regular user of the metro, said: “There are many residential localities around Kengeri TTMC metro station. The skywalk in the area has been a long-pending demand. The TTMC of BMTC, from where city buses are operated to various destinations, has been operational for over a decade. Despite that, no skywalk was constructed all these years. People have no option but to cross the busy road risking their lives.”
Another daily commuter Pratham said: “In the interest of pedestrians, the authorities should expedite the work. It has been months, but the authorities are still buying time to complete the work. Disabled people are finding it difficult to reach both TTMC and metro stations.”
The BMTC is operating 314 buses from the point and buses are operated on 15 routes to various destinations. Pedestrians demand that the skywalk should be linked with both the metro station and TTMC. Now, the contractor has built the structure just across the road.
Meanwhile, manning traffic in the area has been a challenge for the Kengeri traffic police. A senior officer said: “After we requested BMRCL, they have put up grills on the median. This has avoided jaywalking to a great extent. We have provided a passage for the pedestrians to cross the road near the under construction skywalk. In shifts, we have deployed our staff so that pedestrians can safely cross the road. When the skywalk work gets completed, it will be a big relief. It is said that work has been stalled over pending bills. ”
However, when contacted about the delay in completing the works, an official of the BBMP said: “The contractor has stalled the work over clearance from BESCOM and other utilities. The work will be completed in a month. There are no issues with bills.”
Accessing metro stations is a major concern on busy roads such as Mysuru Road and Tumakuru Road. For example, BMRCL had proposed to build a skywalk at multiple locations on Tumkuru Road to connect the metro stations that are located on the right side of the road, but barring Nagasandra metro station, no skywalks are available for other stations. There is a long-pending demand to build a skywalk connecting the metro station with the railway station at Yeshwanthpur and Jnanabharathi station with the halt station as well.
