Is Metro Derailed??
We may have to wait longer than expected for ‘Namma Metro’ due to eight writ petitions against this mega project in the courts. Some petitions of them are filed by few of those whose land has been acquired for the project, while some demand a change in proposed route planned. Though the objections raised by Transparency International are being defended by the corporation yet the BMRCL faces shortage of engineers too…
Around 621 private properties have been earmarked for acquisition by BMRCL. The Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board has been entrusted with the acquisition process. In areas such as CMH Road / Indira nagar, where the Metro will cut through residential and business properties, people have already opposed to the project. There are challenges in co-ordinationg with rehabilitation, coordination with critical govt dept such as BESCOM, BWSSB etc…
The BMRCL has also been criticized for ‘lack of foresight’ as only limited portion of the route of Metro project is underground. MG Road sees traffic jams almost every day due to the ongoing project. Being the second city in India after New Delhi to build a modern Metro rail system, aimed at easing bumper-to-bumper traffic on the roads as almost half of Bangalore’s 6.5 million residents own a two-wheeler or a car (or both). Surprisingly few hundred vehicles are added every day to the three million already on road making the place miserable in business hours. Adding to the frustration is the RTO effectiveness(!) in enforcing the traffic rules…..!!
In short, the Traffic situation on Bangalore Roads would continue to hound us for some more time!!
Reference : BMRC News & Status Report :: Transport Demand Forecast
I wonder why merchants on CMH road are against the Metro line and stations down that road. I find that rather puzzling. Don’t they know that it brings them more potential customers? Don’t they understand that it gives easier access to more people for their businesses?
I live in a city that is fast coming up with its own metro rail (to be opened sometime next year). I have seen great partnership between the metro rail and the businesses along the route. For example, these businesses are affected during the construction phase of the railway line. So, the metro rail website offers discount coupons to businesses along the route which have agreed to participate in the discount program. This encourages customers to visit these merchants during construction, despite the little inconvenience. As far as I know, all the businesses along the route here recognize the potential increase to their profits once the line is operational and they are actually looking forward to it.
Make that third. Calcutta, New Delhi and now Bangalore.