By Chandrima Mazumdar
After more than two years of accidents and protests at the Iblur junction, a skywalk is finally ready for use by the public. Amid the pandemic, this is indeed great news for the residents and office goers in Bellandur and surrounding areas. Bellandur Jothege (BJ), a people’s organisation, was one of the major driving forces behind the construction of the road overbridge. To celebrate the success, BJ has organised a selfie campaign today named #WalkabilityChamp. While the skywalk is ready for public use, an official inauguration is slated for December 8.
Many protests, accidents, and deaths prompted the construction
Kishori Mudaliar, the founder of Bellandur Jothege, says that the idea for a skywalk took shape when one of her friends, Pragya Nair, called to tell her that a young boy who lived in her apartment died in an accident at the Iblur junction. This happened in November 2018. “She contacted me about the dangers that the pedestrians were facing in the area, and that is when we decided to take it upon us to get a skywalk constructed under any condition,” says Mudaliar. Two weeks after the above incident, a 75-year-old resident of the area had also passed away due to an accident at the same junction. Says Nair: “I think it’s fantastic that the skywalk has finally been constructed… it’s a much-needed initiative for the safety of the residents.” There were not isolated incidents. There were many accidents, deaths, and near-misses at this junction, and there were several public protests too. BJ had also asked the public to suggest ways to design the Iblur skywalk.
The permissions for the projects were already approved quite some time ago but the work was still pending. “We came up with little solutions at first,” explains Mudaliar. “Around February 2019, median islands were made, and then traffic signals and pedestrian walks.”
Though initiated and spearheaded by Bellandur Jothege, Mudaliar mentions that without the cooperation of the government officials, the venture wouldn’t have been successful. She gives credit to local MLA Arvind Limbavali, ex-corporator Asha Suresh, Smart City expert RK Misra and BJ volunteers. Besides, she acknowledges the support of BBMP TEC Team, Skywalks Team and the Bangalore Traffic Police, especially the erstwhile Deputy Commissioner Dr KV Jagadeesh. “This is a big civic-citizens partnered win,” she says.
More skywalks in the offing
In 2019, the Sanjay Giri skywalk between the Akme Harmony Apartment and Cloudnine Hospital was also built largely due to the efforts of Bellandur Jothege, with the help of the BBMP. Other than the Iblur skywalk which is now complete, there are two more skywalks scheduled near Central Mall and Springfield. “Though they were approved before the Iblur skywalk, they were delayed due to various reasons,” says Priya Venkat of Bellandur Jothege. “The Central Mall skywalk’s construction had started, but due to local issues, the location was shifted and the work had to be restarted. Then the BBMP team changed, and fresh permissions had to be granted, further delaying the process. But now, the work is underway.”
All pictures courtesy: Bellandur Jothege
