Bengaluru: Residents opposed to B-Smile’s proposed elevated corridors formed human chains at Indiranagar Sunday, using placards, posters, roses and humour to make their case against the projects. The protest was held under the ‘Dear DK, Flyovers Yaake?’ campaign, with participants gathering along 100 Feet Road, Chinmaya Mission Hospital Road and near Swami Vivekananda Road Metro station.Creative posters featuring memes, sketches and slogans questioned the need for more elevated corridors in the city. The protesters urged the chief minister to “Ctrl+Z” (undo) the flyover plans, calling for the city’s infrastructure priorities to be reconsidered.Some posters described the proposed corridors as “elevated dust and heat corridors”. Others poked fun at the pace of infrastructure work by drawing parallels with the Ejipura flyover, depicting the proposed corridors as still under construction in 2047. One slogan read, “BSMILE is taking the smile off our faces.”The proposed corridors include the Old Madras Road-Silk Board stretch through Indiranagar and the Ragigudda-Kanakapura Road stretch in south Bengaluru, among the nine flyovers for which tenders were called. The campaigners called for a rethink of the city’s reliance on elevated corridors to tackle traffic congestion.Govt scraps tenders for 9 projectsThe protest comes amid scrutiny of B-Smile’s elevated corridor plans. The urban development department has scrapped the bidding process for nine flyovers and elevated corridors worth about Rs 3,060 crore, following a review by a govt-appointed panel.The review reportedly found that experience from rural works, railway flyovers and underpasses had been considered despite the requirement for at least half of the qualifying projects to be in urban areas. Questions were also raised over compliance with National Highway guidelines and Karnataka Works Rules.
