Bengaluru: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on Tuesday submitted before the High Court of Karnataka that Indian Road Congress (IRC) standards were not mandatory for construction of flyovers and the standards specified could be altered depending upon local requirement.
The BBMP’s counsel made this submission before a Division Bench comprising acting Chief Justice H.G. Ramesh and Justice P.S. Dinesh Kumar during the hearing on a public interest litigation petition challenging the legality of construction of a steel flyover at Shivananda Circle in the city for various factors, including for not complying with the IRC standards.
Justifying the 4.5 m vertical clearance below the proposed flyover at the Shivananda junction, it was contended on behalf of the BBMP that a minimum vertical clearance of 5.5 m as per the IRC standards cannot be provided as the existing railway underpass nearby does not permit increasing the length of the flyover to provide 5.5 m vertical clearance and the corresponding gradient.
The counsel for the BBMP claimed that the flyover would not cause any hardship to road users or motorists, and added that the design of the flyover had been certified by experts from the Indian Institute of Science.
