A survey of 250 commuters at Cantonment Railway Station by 40 volunteers revealed that nearly all are against the idea of the metro station being in a different premises.
The survey was conducted on Wednesday between 5.30 p.m. and 7 p.m. by volunteers of Citizens for Bengaluru (CfB) and locals. They learnt that several commuters are simply unaware of the upcoming metro station locations and expressed surprise that such decisions are being taken without public opinion.
“When we spoke to commuters inside a DEMU train, we heard the demand loud and clear: 'metro station ille beku (we want metro station here),” a statement from CfB said. Having a metro station near Cantonment Railway Station is expected to ease the commute for around 40,000 daily commuters.
The need of the hour seems to be public consultation that would help set the record straight on plans for the new station, said urban experts.
“Our interaction with daily commuters has shown that relocation is not desired. People are already disappointed with the way things turned out at Majestic and Yeshwantpur. All we are asking for is a public meeting so that we can hear the reasons for Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) changing the location,” said Srinivas Alavilli of CfB.
On Wednesday, a statement from the office of Member of Rajya Sabha Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that BMRCL Managing Director Pradeep Singh Kharola had agreed to hold a presentation for the public in the coming week to show how the decision to shift would not affect commuters.
