Anand Rao Circle has earned the dubious distinction for not only being one of the most congested traffic junctions but also the most polluted one in the central business district of Bangalore.

Situated in the heart of the city, an estimated 18,000 vehicles (passenger car unit) pass through this junction every hour as it acts as the gateway for vehicles moving towards southern and eastern parts of Bangalore. Also, it is the only junction in the City where most Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses pass through.

With the entire traffic in Sheshadripuram diverted towards this junction recently, due to the ongoing project to construct an extra carriage way near the railway under-bridge in Nehrunagar, the density of traffic on this junction has increased manifold.

In fact, several initiatives by BMP to ease congestion in the past have failed. For
instance, the one-way traffic introduced on Subedar Chattram (SC) Road has drawn flak. Nor has there been any relief for motorists after the BMP remodelled the junction. “One-ways here have only succeeded in making roads in the junction unsafe, as motorists drive at high speed,” shop owners near the junction complained.

Private operators flourish
Despite traffic chaos, private bus operators have continued to flourish and they park buses right on the busy roads. Private buses block traffic on Sheshadri Road, S R Road and Race Course Road, especially during evening. Moreover, hundreds of commuters travelling in private buses congregate at this junction, causing traffic jams. Surprisingly, traffic policemen manning the junction always turn a blind eye to this problem.

Will flyover ease traffic?
Even as BDA is conducting studies on the feasibility of a flyover here, questions have been raised on the utility of such a structure. Construction of mini-flyovers (pass overs) near all congested junctions --as planned by BMP and BDA -- will only lead to chaos as it will increase the speed of vehicles, traffic experts fear.
Instead, experts suggest, BDA should construct a flyover, connecting several junctions at a stretch. In other words, the proposed flyover should connect Khoday Circle, Anand Rao Circle and K R Circle.


POSSIBLE CURE
nDiverting traffic as much as possible.
nWidening of all roads connecting this junction.
nDedicated lanes for buses.
nConstruction of a flyover, connecting Khoday, Anand Rao and
K R Circle.

RESPONSE
We invite our readers to suggest ways of overcoming the traffic snarls. You may e-mail your suggestions to editordh@deccanherald.
co.in or snail mail to 75,
M G Road, Bangalore-560001.

USERS SPEAK
Ramesh, a shop owner
There is an increase in speed of vehicles after the introduction of a one-way on Sheshadri Road and SC Road, while the condition of roads have turned bad to worse.
No project will be of any use unless traffic flow is diverted to other areas.

Nanjundaiah, government employee
It is high time to implement dedicated lane systems, especially at junctions like Anand Rao Circle and K R Circle. Traffic gets mixed up, leading to congestion. Dedicated lanes will not only bring in traffic discipline but also bring down the accident rate.

Shekar, a motorist
Private buses operators should be shifted from this junction.
This, if done, will prevent a large number of people coming towards this junction and ease congestion.
Neither the flyover nor an underpass will be a solution for this problem.

Swami, auto-rickshaw driver
While there has been a steady increase in traffic density, all roads connected to this junction have remained narrow for many years, which has led to congestion. All roads should be widened, besides banning commercial activities near this junction.

Ganesh, a shop owner
All government offices located near the junction should be shifted to other places, paving the way for widening of existing roads.
This will be a huge relief, especially during peak hours.

The Karnataka Lok Adalat has directed the State government to submit a report on what would be the effect on Sankey tank if the construction of a proposed multi-storeyed building on the tank-bed area is allowed.

A Bench comprising Justice P Vishwanatha Shetty of Karnataka High Court and Mr Yellappa Reddy directed the Lake Development Authority, the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike and other government agencies concerned to submit a report to the Adalat by September 8.

The Adalat was hearing the petitions questioning the construction of a proposed multi-storeyed building by M/s Mantri Developers for the M/s Gulf Oil Corporation Limited on the tank-bed area.

The Adalat has also asked the authorities to submit a report on the status of the land on which the proposed building has to be constructed.

During the hearing on the petition, the BMP has informed the Adalat that it had not sanctioned any plan for the proposed building. The BMP has also stated that it had directed M/s Mantri Developers to obtain a no objection certificate from the Ministry of Environment and Forests for the proposed project.

The BMP has also made it clear that it would take immediate action if attempts were made to construct any structure on the tank-bed area without obtaining permission from the authorities concerned.

The petitions before the Lok Adalat have alleged that construction of a building would cause water pollution and would deplete the ground water table.

The controversy surrounding the State Government’s decision to defer the release of non-Kannada films for seven weeks witnessed another negative spin - 47 more theatres in Bangalore have resolved to stop screening movies from Tuesday.

The decision was announced on Monday by the Karnataka Cinema Theatre Owners’ Association, which is protesting against the government’s decision.
The theatres which have decided to close are: Plaza, Majestic, Ajanta, Apsara, Mahadeshwaraa, Maheshwari, Eswari, Kamakya, Laxmi, Sreenivasa, Thirumala, Sandeep, Ganesh, Abhiman, Anand, Anjan, Aruna, Elgin, Everest, Gopal, Keshava, Krishna, Mukunda, Narasimha, Pallavi, Poornima, Rajeshwari, Ranganatha, Renuka, Savitha, Sharada, Shoba, Tulsi, Vijayalakshmi, Vinayaka, Prithvi, Vijay, Balaji (Chikkasandra), Rajashekar, Shiva, Pushpanjali (Shivanahalli), Pushpanjali (Sultanpalya), Amruth, Meenaxi (KGF) and Rajeshwari (HAL).

With this, the total number of theatres that have stopped screening films are 68.
Theatres in Bellary district, which generate more revenue from Telugu movies, have threatened to close if the government fails to revoke its decision by Friday.

Drop in collections
In a press release, the Karnataka Cinema Theatre Owners’ Association stated, “Several theatres screening Kannada films have expressed interest in closing soon - more than 20 such theatres in Bangalore alone have indicated that they will incur losses next week onwards due to the drop in current collections and also because there are no Kannada movies scheduled for release on September 3 and 10.”

A member of the Association questioned, “When the audience for Kannada films is not growing, what is the point in screening only Kannada films? It is commercially not viable to run a theatre when the collections are abysmally low. Compounding our problems is the decision to defer the release of non-Kannada films for seven weeks. We can think of opening the theatres only if the State Government revokes its decision.”

No change
However, the Kannada Film Producers’ Association, which apparently pressurised the Government to defer the release of non-Kannada movies, said it would not budge over its stand.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, Kannada Film Producers’ Association, President Basanth Kumar Patil said he finds no reason as to why the exhibitors should object to defer the release of non-Kannada films.

“Those affected by the decision, would be the distributors themselves who would have bought the film. But when they have agreed for the deferred release, why should the exhibitors make a hue and cry over the issue?” Mr Patil asked.
The theatres which are complaining are those which have not patronised Kannada, these just want to draw the attention of the government, he said.

“Why don’t these theatres patronise Kannada movies, instead?,” he asked.
Meanwhile, the president of the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce S Ramesh, said that they are holding meetings with the Kannada film producers and the exhibitors.

He said a final decision would be taken on Tuesday.

Senior IAS officer Jayakar Jerome has decided to wage a legal battle against former prime minister and JD(S) President H D Deve Gowda for his “allegations” against Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) during Mr Jerome’s tenure as commissioner.

Secretariat sources said that Mr Jerome, now serving as Secretary, Minorities Welfare Department, had written to Chief Secretary K K Misra seeking permission to prosecute Mr Gowda “in appropriate criminal and civil courts”.

In his August 16 letter, Mr Jerome said: “I have functioned as the Commissioner of BDA from October 25, 1999 to July 28, 2004. The turnaround of the BDA during this period has not only been written about extensively but is there for all to see and experience. Notwithstanding all this, it is most unfortunate that I have by name been singled out for defamation of the worst kind.

“For more than ten days now, the electronic media and the print media, both English and the vernacular, have extensively reported on the contents of the 29-page letter of Mr Gowda addressed to Chief Minister N Dharam Singh. In this letter, very serious allegations have been made against me personally during my tenure as the BDA Commissioner. Mr Gowda has made allegations that I looted crores of rupees... was guilty of misappropriation... flouted rules and regulations... had underhand dealings.”

Mr Jerome said silence on his part would “give rise to suspicion of” his integrity and character.

“Therefore, I have no option but to vindicate myself. In the present circumstances, this can only be done in a court of law. I therefore request permission of the government under Rule 17 of the All-India Service Conduct Rules to prosecute Mr Gowda in appropriate criminal and civil courts,” he said in his letter.

Interestingly, former chief minister S M Krishna in his letter to Chief Minister N Dharam Singh, had given a comparative performance of the BDA during his tenure. Mr Krishna had said Mr Gowda’s 29-page letter to Mr Singh contained “wild and baseless allegations”.

History stands swamped in anarchy at this traffic junction where vehicles whizz past at break-neck speed often straying on to narrow pedestrian pathways, traffic lights turn on and off abruptly and manual management of traffic only adds to the confusion. Getting past Town Hall junction in the midst of the City is a nightmare.
Hub of one of the busiest areas of the City, the Town Hall junction comprises two intersections. The JC Road stretch from Minerva Circle, NR Road, SJP Road and the JC Road stretch leading to BMP office intersect at the first of the Town Hall intersections. The second intersection brings together the JC Road stretch from Town Hall, Nrupathunga Road, Mission Road and the JC Road stretch leading to Hudson Circle.

Corporation office, LIC and Canara Bank, Dasappa Maternity Home, Ravindra Kalakshetra, Badami House housing KSTDC office, Town Hall and Unity Buildings are the landmarks that form the periphery of the junction overlooking which stands the statue of Bangalore’s founder Kempe Gowda, in a BMP park. The Town Hall junction is busy throughout the day. As drivers of speeding vehicles try to make sense of the labyrinthine roads, pedestrians court death at every step as they move from one side of the road to the other. Two policemen, each on two shifts at each intersection have been able to do little to contain the chaos.
Police say, 12,000 vehicles drive past the Town Hall junction every hour. The ideal number is only 8,000. Vehicles coming from Kalasipalyam and Mysore Road have been diverted into Pehelwan Krishna Road and only BMTC buses are allowed into the Town Hall junction. Mr M A Saleem, DCP (East Zone), said this has eased more than 30 per cent of the congestion. Traffic jams and accidents involving alighting commuters are also common. Though chaos here seem to be self-regulatory, accidents are rare in this junction. Reason: The slow moving traffic and congested roads. There were eight accident cases in 2001, this rose to nine in 2002, falling to six in 2003 and rising again to eight in 2004 (updated till July 31, 2004).

Plans to decongest
Several proposals are under consideration to further decongest this junction like diverting traffic into the narrow Mission Road. The Confederation of Indian Industry and BATF have jointly piloted a lane discipline project on JC Road under which violators face a spot fine of Rs 100.


USERS SPEAK

Niyaz Shareff, assistant manager Karnataka Silk Marketing Board Ltd:
On JC Road, speeding vehicles brazenly cross the yellow line. A barricade must be erected.

D Krishnamurthy, officer, Canara Bank:
Buses stop right in the middle of the road, making it difficult for passengers to get off. Most processions begin from here, causing jams for hours.

T P Lakshmamma, nurse in Dasappa Maternity Home:
Those getting out of the maternity home have difficulty getting to the other side due to absence of signal lights at the Pehelwan junction.

Kusuma, works in Veenu Ladders:
The noise is deafening. There must be some of restriction on the type of vehicles that can pass. Police are missing most of the time.

Krishna, autorickshaw driver:
Free turns only makes things difficult. However, after traffic has been diverted, traffic jams have been reduced. There must be more one ways.

For Anil Kumar, who has been running his shop near Malleswaram Circle for the last 40 years, memories of the location’s cool environs with tree-lined avenues and the fragrance of sampige are hard to forget.

However, things have changed now. The aesthetically designed traffic island has long been demolished to make way for the burgeoning vehicular traffic. From one of the City’s secluded spots a few decades ago, Malleswaram Circle today has become the gateway to the Western and North Western parts of the City. The result: Maddening chaos and traffic snarls during peak hours.

The junction, around two kms from the Bangalore main bus and railway station, serves as the nearest link to the densely populated new residential, commercial and industrial areas of Bangalore West - the main reason for the exponential increase in traffic flow. Two main roads intersect at the junction - Sampige Road and Mahakavi Kuvempu Road.

Mofussil buses from the Bangalore outskirts ply via Malleswaram to reach K R Market and other parts of Central Bangalore adding to the traffic chaos.

Moreover, there are a number of intersections on Sampige Road disrupting smooth flow of traffic and also leading to accidents. The junction near Sampige theatre is particularly dangerous as the flow of traffic from Srirampuram sector is heavy during peak hours. Motorists trying to take shortcuts through the various bylanes just add to the congestion. Moreover, there are three BMTC bus stands very close to Malleswaram Circle.

There is little scope for road widening. The only way out - one-ways. Sampige Road, perhaps was one of the first four-lane roads in the City to be made one-way. The result of this experiment has been a new traffic bottleneck near Gitanjali Circle. The Pipeline Link Road, which serves as the parallel road to make up for the one-way on Sampige Road, is too narrow to accommodate the traffic.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic-West Division) M T Naik says: “Presently all KSRTC buses towards Mangalore, Hassan and Tumkur ply via Malleswaram. The construction of satellite KSRTC bus stations at Yeshwanthpur and Mysore Road will lessen the traffic flow towards the junction”.

POSSIBLE CURE

Construction of a grade separator.
Shifting the existing bus stands from Malleswaram Circle
Traffic diversion near Sampige junction and Gitanjali Circle.

USERS SPEAK

Parameshwara (advocate):Malleswaram still remains one of the green spots of the City. Road widening is ruled out as it will involve cutting down a large number of trees. The road linking Srirampuram and Sampige Road can be made one-way to reduce the traffic flow towards Malleswaram Circle.

Anil Kumar (Cloth merchant, resident of Malleswaram for the last forty years):
It is the increasing number of two wheelers that is causing the traffic snarls. An efficient public transport system will ease the problem. Metro rail should be of much help in this direction.

Manjunath (Entrepreneur):The traffic problem is only during peak hours between 9 am and 11 am and again from 6 pm to 8 pm in the evening. I commute regularly via Malleswaram Circle to reach my factory only to end up in traffic jams. Buses could be diverted during these hours.

Melkote Vairamudi (autodriver):Water logging is a major problem near Raja Mills leading to traffic jams and making the stretch between Sampige Road and Rajiv Gandhi Circle unmotorable every time it rains. Authorities should attend to the problem immediately.

Ronald Rodrigues (shopkeeper):A traffic police should man the Malleswaram Grounds - Margosa Road junction. The junction has become a death trap for pedestrians. Movement of heavy vehicles should be diveted from the junction during peak hours.

The Khoday’s Circle, situated near the Divisional Railway office, is an interjunction of various arterial roads in the City with the traffic of Bangalore West, a densely populated residential, commercial and industrial area, passing through this circle.

The Bangalore City railway station and Kempegowda bus stand, which encompasses city, state and inter-state bus stands is located close to the circle contributing to the traffic density.

The Gubbi Thotadappa Road (also known as City Railway Station Road) which stretches from Cottonpet Circle (near Shanthala Silk House) to Khoday Circle, is perhaps the only road in Bangalore City which has three lanes. One of the lanes takes the flow of traffic from the Gubbi Thotadappa Road towards Bangalore West (Rajajinagar, Magadi Road and Vijayanagar), passing through the two-laned road underbridge.

The middle lane of Gubbi Thotadappa Road takes the flow of traffic coming from Bangalore West and going towards Kempegowda bus-stand and Cottonpet.

The third lane takes the flow of traffic towards Anand Rao Circle and to Seshadri Road. The Seshadri Road also has flow of traffic coming from Bangalore West side.

The flow of traffic is smooth throughout the day except at peak hours. The traffic is intense from 10 am to 11.30 am and from 5 pm to 7.30 pm, leading to traffic jams around the circle. However, Mr M T Naik, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic-West Division) says Khoday Circle is a well-designed traffic circle that ensures smooth flow of traffic. However, there is intensity of traffic with as many as 2.5 lakh vehicles moving during the peak hours in the morning and evening, he says.

He says the construction work of a flyover at Modi junction and an underpass near Sujatha theatre on Dr Rajkumar Road and the consequent diversion of traffic has led to increase of traffic at Khoday junction. Besides, the road underbridge near the circle is narrow and needs to be widened.

The Circle is monitored by traffic policemen, working in shifts from 6 am to 10 pm, he added.

Grade separator

BMP also plans to extend to extend the ongoing grade separator near Sujatha theatre till Anand Rao Circle to decongest traffic in the entire stretch. If done, the existing bottleneck near Khoday circle will get cleared permanently, officials said.

POSSIBLE CURE

Widen the road under bridge near the circle.
Synchronise the signal lights at all junction in Bangalore West.
Extending Rajajinagar grade separator till Anand Rao circle.
Construction of extra carriage way.
Reducing the gradient of all roads leading towards the circle.

It is one of the busiest junctions where policemen dread to man traffic during peak hours. Such is the maddening traffic that it has even rendered traffic signals ineffective. But believe it or not, over 10,000 vehicles pass through the Magadi Road-Chord Road junction every hour. In fact the time required for a motorist to wade through the flood of traffic here is over 180 seconds, which, according to traffic experts, is “too much a time taken.” Adding to the problem is the infrastructure which has remained the same since decades despite the steady increase in traffic flow.

Also called the Vijayanagar Entrance, this junction connects two major roads - the West of Chord Road (Inner Ring Road) and Magadi Road. It also acts as the entry point for vehicles to reach the centre City from almost all areas in the southern part.

While the movement of heavy vehicles has increased on Chord Road as it connects Mysore Road to Tumkur Road, Magadi Road is too narrow to accommodate the mounting traffic. Over and above, bad roads and uneven footpaths have only compounded the problem. To top it all, the junction has three Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) bus stands, two petrol bunks, a temple and a marriage hall situated close to it. And traffic piles up when the BMTC buses jostle for space near the stop.

“These have contributed significantly to the traffic jams. Since the temple is a sensitive issue, there is no question of initiating any action to either forcefully control the number of devotees or to shift the very temple. And it has been difficult to make the petrol bunk owners shift their base as they are very influential,” a traffic police constable, who wished to be anonymous, said. In fact, the civic agencyís plans to put an end to the chaos has also failed. Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, which had intended to re-design the junction and widen the existing roads, dropped the plan as there was no space available near the junction.

Marriage halls, the temple and petrol bunks have been there for many years. “We should keep the junction free from all nuisance and traffic rules should be followed strictly. Besides, traffic flow can be made smooth only by a grade separator or a fly-over,” say officials.

POSSIBLE CURE

Construction of a grade separator.
Shifting the existing bus-stands from near the junction.
Clear footpath encroachment.
Strict enforcement of traffic rules.

The South Western Railway has finalised plans for a Yeshwantpur Railway bypass on the Tumkur-Yeshwantpur route, which will cut down travel time of trains from the western parts of the State going eastwards by a good two hours.

The bypass will be ready within the next six months and go a long way towards decongesting rail traffic in the Yeshwantpur railway station, which is fast emerging as the second terminal of Bangalore.

For the past two years since the Yeshwantpur terminal was built, all trains going via Yeshwantpur and Yelahanka have had over three hours added to their travel time because an engine change has to take place at least once, sometimes twice.

However, with the Hebbal-Banaswadi route thrown open now, engine turnaround has been spared at Yeshwantpur. Now a Yeshwantpur bypass has been proposed on the Yeshwantpur-Tumkur route, so that trains coming from the west — say Hubli or Mumbai and headed towards Yelahanka/Dharmavaram can go directly without touching Yeshwantpur at all. “We are in an advanced stage of acquiring land from the Air Force ahead of Yeshwantpur, which will enable us to build the track we need from Chikkabannavar to Yelahanka. What we need is only a 300-metre additional track. The project cost will be about Rs 50 lakh, while another Rs 6 crore is to be paid towards the land,” said Bangalore Divisional Railway Manager Mahesh Kumar.

Mr Kumar told Deccan Herald that while the main advantage would be for goods trains, the railways will also consider diverting those trains “which do not require to stop at Yeshwantpur for commercial reasons” to bypass Yeshwantpur and go on towards Yelahanka.

The plans are ready and work will begin in about three months, while it will take another three months to construct the short stretch of track. For trains starting from other parts of the State and connecting Yeshwantpur and Yelahanka, the problem till now has been that they would have to take an engine turnaround twice – each turnaround takes a minimum of 45 minutes but usually close to two hours because the adjoining track has to be empty to enable it.

Considering there are at least five-six goods trains every day, which could avoid having to wait at Yeshwantpur, get line clearance and then chug towards Yelahanka with an engine reversal, it would enhance Yeshwantpur’s station capacity immediately.

Yeshwantpur will now have the capacity to handle another 12-15 trains.

Artifacts from historical sites in and around Bangalore would be collected and showcased in the proposed Kempe Gowda Museum to be set up shortly by the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike.

Speaking to reporters after visiting some historical sites in the City on the occasion of “Save City heritage” week, Mayor P R Ramesh said the Kempe Gowda Museum would be established at Mayo Hall and the existing BMP office would be shifted to Public Utility building shortly, he said.

“Karnataka Historical Academy, Bangalore University and Kempe Gowda Academy, with help from the authorities of City temples and other places of worship, will collect artifacts, idols, Veeragallu and old manuscripts which will be kept at the museum,” the Mayor said.

Bangalore City has gained international recognition and people visiting Bangalore should be made aware of the history of the City, he said. “The decision to move these historic artifacts to the museum would be taken up by the BMP after a high-level meeting and with permission from the State government,” the Mayor added.
A number of monuments have been neglected in the City which needs to be preserved. Preservation and restoration of these historic monuments would be taken up soon, he said.

The Mayor visited Someshwara Temple at Madivala, Someshwara Temple at Ulsoor and St Mary's Church in Shivajinagar besides Begur on Hosur road.