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Mysore bank junction sky-walk with lift facility

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Written By murali772 - 20 July, 2012

Bangalore BBMP PPP sustainability Media Reports Skywalks Pedestrian Infrastructure

The skywalk operators offer lift facility between 8 am and 8 pm everyday and the lift has a capacity of 1,000 kg. It can lift 13 people at once and during power cuts too, the lifts are operational using generators.

On April 25, the skywalk was opened to public. Rajdeep Buildcon Private Company invested Rs 2.25 crore to build the skywalk along with two lifts. These lifts were installed to help elders, physically challenged and others who are unable to climb the staircase. The company’s management claims that nearly 600 to 800 people use the lift facility from 9.30 to 11.30 am and 4.30 to 6.30 pm.

BBMP has deployed two operators throughout the day to ensure the safety of the users. “We have invested a huge amount on this project with a motto to serve people. But many pedestrians do not use it,” said H S Harish, Assistant manager of Rajdeep Buildcon Private Company.But for some pedestrians, it has come as a relief.

For the full report in the New Indian Express, click here

I wonder what the PPP terms are, and how the operation can be sustainable. And, when it is supposed to be a PPP, why is BBMP deploying two operators?

Muralidhar Rao
 

COMMENTS

revenue maximisation approach cause of failure to find solutions

murali772 - 29 April, 2015 - 05:53

Pedestrians will continue to risk life and limb at the city’s busy junctions as no contractors are coming forward to build skywalks. After a feasibility study in 2012, the BBMP announced plans for 100 skywalks across the city. Of them, 30 were built and are in use. On April 15, the BBMP called for tenders to build 56 more. The bidders were to design, build, finance, operate and transfer the skywalks with a concessionaire period of 20 years. The model is called DBFOT in official parlance.
 
The locations included the Cantonment Railway Station (car park to station), ISKON temple, Rajajinagar, and Satellite Bus Stand, Mysore Road (bus stand to Ramani Timber Mark). “This is the seventh call. No one is responding. One reason is that the bidder has to take care of everything. Though we allow them to put up hoardings for 20 years, their returns are delayed,” a senior BBMP official said. - - - BBMP administrator T M Vijay Bhaskar said he would call a meeting soon. “We will ask why no one is coming forward. If required, we will make changes in the tender terms,” he said.
 
For the full text of the report in the New Indian Express, click here.
 
The entire problem arises out of BBMP's revenue maximisation approach to solving simple problems, which approach complicates matters totally, as has been illustrated graphically in the Christ University example cited in my earlier post (scroll above). While revenue considerations could also come into the picture, in the case of regulation of motorised traffic (in the form of congestion charges, tolls, etc), its being granted primacy in the order of things, is when the solutions go totally wrong. Either way, a revenue-oriented approach to providing pedestrian facilities, is fundamentally wrong. 
 
The answer lies in making the solutions simple, whereby it will readily attract sponsors, failing which it can be funded by BBMP itself. 
 
As regards making the facility disabled, and senior-citizen friendly, a better option may lie in having "pelican crossings" (check here) at grade, for use exclusively by them (or police). 
 
One hopes the Administrator takes all of these into consideration, and solves the problem that has remained unsolved for years together, leading to many a fatality. 
 

Filling a bucket with holes

Abraham Kuruvilla - 29 April, 2015 - 06:17

How can anyone fill a buket with holes. Under such circumstances only leakage maximiztion is possible.

 

politicising of pedestrian interests

murali772 - 26 July, 2015 - 10:55

The order (issued by the government in May) asked the BBMP to ensure that 24.1% of the private partners building skywalks belong to the SC ST category. Simply put, of the 54 skywalks planned, 13 should be built by SCST contractors.

With the skywalk project, BBMP aims not only to safeguard pedestrians but also fill its coffers through advertisements. Both the Palike and the private partner concessionaire will rake in revenue through ads on these skywalks.

- - - BBMP administrator TM Vijay Bhaskar told TOI: “There are three major changes to be made in the earlier proposal: have reservation for SCST contractors; increase the concession period; and install an escalator at every skywalk. We could have released the corrigendum to the tender, but nothing can be done now until the elections are over."

For the full text of the report in the ToI, click here.

Essentially, this project is turning out to be just in the interest of the revenue for the BBMP, orders for the contractors, and publicity mileage for the ruling party for garnering SC/ST support in the upcoming BBMP elections - all in the name of the hapless pedestrian.

One had hoped that the administrator, with the kind of reputation he came in with, would be able to steer the project through in the right direction, keeping largely the interest of the key stake-holder, viz the pedestrian in view, as has been suggested in this blog. Alas, it's not to be.

Perhaps, the following excerpts from another report in the ToI (for the full text, click here), points to the bureacrats' helplessness, however well-intentioned they may be.

Sources said Krishna was shifted after he objected to IT-BT minister SR Patil's decision to hand over a project to a private company without inviting bids. The bureaucrat had also objected to the minister's missive to Keonics to buy pillows and blankets without a tender on behalf of the social welfare department, to be distributed among hostel kids.

And, when the inevitable criticisms follow, the government then talks of setting up another vision group, as if the many that are there are not good enough. One had thought that Bengaluru, and Karnataka, deserved a lot better.

poor design and wrong approach

murali772 - 18 May, 2016 - 13:31

I occasioned recently to cross the Fld Marshall Cariappa road in front of the Bangalore Club. Using the FoB, at the point, I realised why it was hardly used by the multitudes crossing the road even during peak traffic flow. One needed to climb an extra 5 steps (marked clearly in the picture) because of the poor design of providing the support webbings below the walk-way.

This is quite the case with the FoB at Domlur exit on Indiranagar 100ft road, the one near Sophia school, etc, too.

Fortunately, this anomaly has been corrected in the new ones erected near Christ College, and a few other places.

But, here again, they went and complicated matters because of their "revenue maximisation approach" (read my post of 29th Apr,'15 - scrolling above), leading eventually to their having to abandon the ones proposed at Domlur junction, Dell bus-stop on IRR (after having undertaken the excavation work at these spots - presently covered behind corrugated sheets), with no contractors coming forward to even bid for them.

Apparently, BBMP can learn only one lesson at a time.

Complicating matters

murali772 - 20 December, 2014 - 06:03

 
The foot-overbridge erected by the BBMP, near the Christ College, is admittedly a competent job. But, having decided to go in for lifts, which then means adding a genset (given the erratic power supply scenario - see the room circled in red in the picture), all of that entailing operation & maintenance, and consequently huge installation and running costs, the BBMP is looking for PPP contractors to take them up on long lease, the revenue to come through sale of ad space along the walk-way sides (the strip marked by red arrow in the licture, lit up at nights - see the lamps circled in red). What has happened in the process is the entire matter has got complicated, and, with not enough contractors coming forward to take them up, the jobs have got stalled. 
 
Also, considering the fact that it'll take a minimum of 3 minutes if you want to cross the road using the lifts, I doubt the usage will be high, which will eventually lead to the contractor not maintaining it (if not quietly selling it off even). In addition, is going to be the uglification of the city landscape because of the ads, apart from the question of security, particularly for women, in the totally covered passage way.
 
Given all of this, wouldn't it have been much simpler for the BBMP to instead provide wheel-chair ramps along one side of the steps, thereby reducing the installation cost considerably and almost eliminating maintenance costs, and then fund all of it by itself? Congestion charges, parking charges, etc for cars are understandable. But, shouldn't pedestrian infrastructure, a basic need of the citizen, be funded by the municipality itself? And, in order that the costs involved don't become too high and lead to budgetary constraints, wouldn't it have been better to keep them simple? Some interesting examples from across the world can be accessed by scrolling above to the post made by Naveen (a globe-trotter) on 15th Oct, '12.
 
Besides, if kept simple, perhaps there'll even be enough Corporates coming forward to fund them, if the BBMP so desires, with just a simple plaque acknowledging their contribution, displayed on it not too inconspicuously. 
 
Would the BBMP like to think along these lines for the many more foot-overbridges that are planned across the city?
 
All of that, does not take away from the fact that this is a job well done, as brought out in the pictures below, particularly compared to the likes of the one adjoining Sophia school (see the last picture, and comments here). BBMP deserves kudos for that. 
 
Adequate space provided for walk-through pedestrians
 
Road narrowed down by about 4ft width (and neatly marked) to allow for a 3ft passage for walk-through pedestrians. This is perhaps the best BBMP could do considering the transformer installation (circled in red) already encroaching onto the footpath.
 
The foot-overbridge near Sophia school, where the passage way is about 2ft (4 steps) higher than the mandated 5.5M (from the road surface), because of the support bracings (shown in red) being provided below the floor boards. Besides, the steps have almost totally blocked off the way for the walk-through pedestrians.

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