Vyttila mobility hub’s second phase work in doldrums
The Hindu
‘No effort being made to integrate hub with junction redesign to put an end to traffic hold-ups’
Even as uncertainty looms large over the ₹572-crore second phase development work of Vyttila Mobility Hub (VMH), primarily due to the inordinate delay in reconstituting the VMH Society as a company, stakeholders are peeved at the little effort being made to ensure its seamless connectivity with Vyttila Junction during the second phase development works of the junction. The State government has not registered the Society as a government-owned company or as a special purpose vehicle (SPV), although the first phase was commissioned in 2010, soon after which the assurance of kick-starting second phase work was made. Constituting the VMH Society as a company is crucial to overcome numerous issues, including the availing of loan and attracting investors for the second phase work slated to be executed on a public-private partnership (PPP)basis. A senior official of the agency had said in February that a plan of action to set in motion the second phase work would be readied in March, for which the formalities for registration of the company were in final stages, said official sources. With company formation caught in red tape, there is concern over the fate of a soft loan that was expected from a French lending agency.The fear of being caught for traffic rule violation has indeed compelled many two-wheeler riders to wear helmets. But one cursory look at riders at any traffic junction in Bengaluru shows that more than half the riders have on their heads non-standard helmets, designed solely to evade the eye of law, with little concern for the safety of their own heads.
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