The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Extension of Metro Rail line hits roadblock

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Monday, Mar 17, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Extension of Metro Rail line hits roadblock

Anil Kumar Sastry

NHAI work on Bangalore-Tumkur Road upsets plan

Extension is part of the north–south corridor
Alignment of the line was planned on eastern side of Tumkur Road

BANGALORE: The extension of the Metro Rail line from Yeshwantpur to Hesaraghatta Cross appears to have hit a roadblock after the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) took up widening of the Bangalore-Tumkur Road (National Highway 4).

The extension (5.6 km) is part of the north–south corridor from R.V. Road Terminal to Yeshwantpur. On the south, the corridor is planned to be extended up to Jaraganahalli. The 14.90 km. north-south corridor was supposed to begin at Yeshwantpur Terminal and terminate at R.V. Road terminal, going via Mahalakshmi Layout, Rajajinagar, Kuvempu Road, Malleswaram, Swastik, Majestic, Chickpet, City Market, K.R. Road, Lalbagh, South End Circle and Jayanagar.

The alignment of the extension line was planned on the eastern side of Tumkur Road. However, with NHAI taking up six-laning of the Tumkur Road till Nelamangala (19.5 km), Bangalore Metro has little space to construct the viaduct.

As the contract for construction of the four-lane elevated road on Tumkur Road on the same stretch has already been awarded, it has become difficult to modify the contract terms to construct the Metro line atop the four-lane elevated highway.

“We are bargaining hard with the NHAI to provide us some space for construction of the viaduct so as to avoid acquisition of private property. We hope our negotiations with NHAI will be fruitful,” said V. Madhu, Managing Director, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd.

Mr. Madhu told The Hindu that by the time Bangalore Metro decided to extend the line till Hesaraghatta Cross, NHAI too had decided to widen the road.

The proposed extension passes through developed areas, and recently many private properties were acquired for road-widening on this stretch. “We do not intend to make further acquisition,” he said.

Bangalore Metro has told NHAI that the six plus four-lane road between the city and Nelamangala was sufficient to take the traffic and there was no need to leave space for future expansion.

Once the NICE Ring Road is commissioned and the Bangalore Development Authority’s Peripheral Ring Road is completed, there will be less truck traffic on this stretch, BMRCL has argued supporting its claim.

Thus, the space sought to be left for future road expansion can be given to Bangalore Metro.

However, NHAI Chairman N. Gokulram said that the contracts for strengthening National Highway 4 had already been awarded and it was too late to rework the alignment. It was for the Bangalore Metro to decide on its line, he said.

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