The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Metro rail: traders seek clarification

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 26, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Metro rail: traders seek clarification

Special Correspondent

`While metro rail is good news for Bangaloreans, it is not so good for those doing business on CMH Road'

Bangalore: A delegation of CMH Road Shops and Establishments' Association went to the office of the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) off Bhagwan Mahaveer Road (Infantry Road) and asked for further clarification on the land to be acquired for the track to pass along the main shopping district in upmarket Indiranagar.

The traders' delegation was led by Pramila M. Nesargi, senior lawyer and former legislator. Ms. Nesargi later told presspersons that while it was good news for Bangaloreans that the mass rapid transit system was materialising, it was not so good for those doing business on CMH Road.

"Throughout the proposed alignment of metro, the route passes along highly congested areas, many with decades-old businesses. The proposed Mahatma Gandhi Road to Byapannahalli segment of the metro can easily pass along the spacious Old Madras Road without disturbing CMH Road. There is plenty of unused land, some belonging to public bodies. These can be used for the tracks," she said.

After several representations, the Justice Shivashankar Bhat Committee, appointed by the Government, was looking into all aspects of the metro route and grievances of the people were likely to be displayed. It was not proper on the part of BMRCL to go ahead with the project before the committee submitted its report and the recommendations contained in it were considered. Ms. Nesargi also took exception to the way land was acquired under the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board Act. The Justice Shivashankar Bhat Committee's report was due to be submitted to the Government on March 1, and land acquisition should take place only after that, she said. Alternative alignments that will minimise disturbance to existing buildings should be seriously considered. The BMRCL authorities reportedly told the CMH Road traders that not all the land in that area was being acquired and that very few businesses or residences would actually be displaced.

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