Toll heavy on commuters

BANGALORE:  As if the commuter in Bangalore was not troubled enough, the decision to impose toll on the Bangalore International Airport (BIA) road has made life worse. Though the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) boasted about opening of an alternative road, the dream remains unrealised so far.With the BBMP and the BIA locking horns over the issue, the tax payer continues to shell out, hoping for a respite from the chaos. Speaking to Express, Shijith, a frequent commuter to the airport from East Bangalore said, “The BBMP corporators claim to have completed the road which beats traffic, but why is the public not allowed to use the it.”Expressing his anger, he lambasted the authorities for not keeping ‘money in mind but not service’.Adding to this, Babu, a cab driver stated that the new road would reduce travel time and stress considerably, but it seemed like the ‘forbidden fruit’.“We travel all across the city for pick up and drops and an alternate road would ensure that passengers would not miss their flights due to traffic”, he said and shared that it was a common occurrence.He also added that the current road had many choke points as there were many ongoing projects and constructions.The BBMP built a road from Hennur towards BIA at a cost of Rs 45 crore. But many months after initial talks were initiated between the two bodies, the road continues to remain unused as it ends at the BIAL outer wall.“We have had talks with them and the BIA officials must adhere to these requests as it would solve a lot of traffic problems”, Deputy Mayor S Harish had stated and added that they would have another round of talks in January 2012, but no developments have taken place ever since.The BBMP had also contemplated building an underpass under the proposed second run way of BIA.He said that they would soon prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the proposal and present it at the end of the month, when the two bodies were scheduled to meet.The road which connects to the airport starts at Hennur and cuts through Bagalur, Kanoor, Chagalatha, Mylanahalli. It is said to reduce over 10 kms for commuters and is barely one kilometer from the airport.The BIAL had cited that the runway, which was scheduled to come up in the next couple of years, was the main reason they had not paved the breaking wall. Many employees of BIAL jump over the five feet wall to get to the airport as it reduces their travel time.