Deputy CM Shivakumar inspects traffic hotspots, directs officials to come up with long-term plans

BENGALURU: Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who is also in charge of Bengaluru development, on Tuesday said there are 18 junctions in the city which witness traffic jams regularly and said he has instructed the officials concerned to draw up long-term plans to ease traffic.

The Deputy CM who went around the city, visited the Hebbal flyover and KR Puram and said he has given instructions to double-lane carriageways wherever possible. “I have also spoken to the National Highways Authority of India (NNHAI) officials”, he said.

Deputy CM Shivakumar being briefed about the Hebbal flyover.

Shivakumar on Tuesday visited the Hebbal junction, Nagawara flyover, Telecom Layout, Kalyan Nagar, HRBR Layout, KR Puram flyover to get a first-hand experience of the traffic issues and to sort them.

At Hebbal, he examined the blueprint and got detailed information from the officials about expansion of the road, Metro station and line and discussed ways to ease traffic flow. At Telecom Layout, which witnesses flooding, he inspected the rajakaluve where the BBMP has taken up work on a retaining wall.

Deputy CM Shivakumar inspecting work on a rajakaluve at Telecom Layout from a three-storey building.

He also felt that the KR Puram Metro line should not have been inaugurated in a hurry. At Tin Factory in KR Puram, he was greeted by BJP MLA Byrathi Basavaraj. Shivakumar taunted Basavaraj saying, “You walked out in protest from the meeting”, referring last week’s meeting when Shivakumar arrived late. Later, both travelled in the same car.

Earlier in the day, Shivakumar held at meeting with BDA chairman Rakesh Singh and other officials at the civic agency’s headquarters.