Looks like the blanket ban on advertisements by the High Court has taken away BBMP’s interest in skywalks. The work on these structures, hailed as the source of moolah, has ground to a halt.
The delay in building skywalks is due to “BBMP’s lack of interest as ad boards are no more in motion after the ban, which has adversely hit the income of its officials,” pointed out Aravind Limbavali, MLA, Mahadevapura zone, talking about the pending skywalks in the zone which is a major IT hub of Bengaluru.
As many as six skywalks at various points in Mahadevapura zone, which are to be built on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, are delayed as the Bengaluru Metropolitan Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) is yet to give its clearance, according to BBMP officials.
They also said that tenders are in process for the remaining skywalks in seven other locations of the zone. Most of these skywalks arrive at the Outer Ring Road (ORR) while some arrive at Sarjapura and Varthur roads.
“Advertisement boards on skywalks were a good revenue generator for the BBMP. In fact, they were chosen in places where the ads would fetch more revenue,” said Limbavali.
“There is no coordination among the civic agencies. Most of the time is lost in awaiting clearances from each other, like how the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is waiting for approval from the BMRCL now,” Limbavali said.
“Out of the 16 skywalks that the palike had proposed in Mahadevapura, only three have been completed.
Some skywalks have been partially erected while work on some has not started at all,” said a member of the Bellandur Jothege group.
The residents of Bellandur said that there is an urgent need for skywalks on Bellandur Outer Ring Road and Sarjapura road, as they are always busy and have witnessed many pedestrian deaths already.
“There were six pedestrian deaths in eight months on the Bellandur-Sarjapur road alone.
The BBMP must be accountable for every life lost,” said Kishori Mudaliar, a member of the Bellandur Jothege group.