Ejipura flyover: Stolen material to prolong completion of the long-pending project

Ejipura flyover project in Koramangala faces delays due to stolen materials, causing prolonged commute for frustrated commuters.

The long-pending Ejipura flyover project in Koramangala might remain incomplete for sometime to come, the latest hindrance to its completion being materials worth crores being stolen, forcing the new company that has bagged the tender to procure them afresh. This means commuters have to continue to endure an arduous journey on this stretch.

The stretch, which has about seven signals, chokes at points from Kendriya Sadan Junction to Ejipura Junction. Commuters rue that during the peak hours, the travel of about 2.5 km takes 30 to 40 minutes. Riddled with potholes as well, the stretch is an impossible commute particularly for bike riders during rains.

The work to build the 2.5-km-long flyover — from the junction of Ejipura Main Road-Inner Ring Road to Kendriya Sadan Junction — that commenced in 2017, was stopped multiple times due to tussle between contractors and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). The cost of the project has been a bone of contention.

According to a senior BBMP official, so far, ₹75 crore has been spent and nearly 50% of the work has been completed. Now, an additional ₹200 crore is required to complete the project. With this, the total cost of the project will be ₹275 crore. 

The BBMP floated the tender for the third time for the project in July 2023, after previous tenders issued in August 2022, did not see bidders. The first tender had ended prematurely. The first company that bagged the contract in 2017 was Simplex Infrastructure Limited, which missed deadlines in 2019, 2021 and 2022 before the termination of the contract by the BBMP.

About 11 months after the fresh tender was issued, the work started in July 2024. The BBMP has set a deadline of 18 months to complete the pending works.