Plan beautification of space under flyovers: Tushar Giri Nath

Bengaluru's Urban Development aims to beautify underutilized flyover spaces, enhancing city aesthetics and improving green cover initiatives.

Tushar Giri Nath, Additional Chief Secretary of the Urban Development Department, has directed officials to prepare a comprehensive plan for the development and beautification of spaces beneath flyovers across Bengaluru. 

Mr. Nath, during a review meeting on Monday (March 16), said many of the lower portions of major flyovers in the city remain underdeveloped, affecting the city’s overall aesthetics. He asked officials to identify such locations under flyovers built by the erstwhile Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), and prepare a detailed plan for their development. 

The meeting also reviewed plans for planting saplings, establishing solid waste transfer stations, and improving parking management across the city. The senior official directed the city corporations, BMRCL, BWSSB and BDA, to take steps to plant and nurture saplings in their respective jurisdictions. He specifically instructed officials to plant bamboo along roadsides and around lakes, and asked the BWSSB to prepare a plan to develop green cover around sewage treatment plants (STPs). Officials from the Forest Department were also directed to identify locations for installing tree stands and submit a cost estimate. 

On parking management, Mr. Nath called for a comprehensive review of the existing parking system across the five city corporations and directed officials to frame appropriate regulations. He also asked them to explore the possibility of using vacant sites or private plots along roadsides for parking facilities and to suggest incentives that could be offered to landowners. Separate towing officers should be designated for each of the five city corporations to remove abandoned vehicles, he said. 

The meeting also reviewed the progress of solid waste management infrastructure. Second-level solid waste transfer stations have already been set up in three zones, while work is under way at four more locations. He directed officials to call tenders and issue work orders for eight additional sites and said district collectors must immediately hand over government land wherever required for these facilities. 

During the meeting, GBA Chief Commissioner M. Maheshwar Rao said unauthorised roadside parking is increasing in the city and called for a special enforcement drive against violations. Mr. Rao added that mini transfer stations would be set up in areas where there is insufficient space to build secondary waste transfer units.