As decks are being cleared for the launch of Namma Metro Phase 2, the proposed realignments are giving nightmares to residents likely to be affected by the project.
Residents in Jayanagar 8th Block are protesting against a realignment of the R.V. Road — Bommasandra line, as they fear this will bring the metro line closer to their bedrooms and eventually lead to the acquisition of their properties for road widening.
A section of the R.V. Road-Bommasandra line, which crosses over the existing R.V. Road-Kanakapura line on 4th Main, Jayanagar, is expected to affect 25 properties on 3rd Main, between 36th cross and 45th cross, in Jayanagar 8th Block.
Incidentally, this realignment is about a km away from where another group of aggrieved property owners in Jayanagar 9th block is up in arms against the realignment of the interchange station at Jayadeva Hospital junction on Bannerghatta Road.
“Had the metro alignment gone on the eastern side of Lakshman Rao Park as planned earlier, there was no threat to any property. But this alignment was changed to the western side of the park and this will affect us,” a resident of 3rd Main, Jayanagar 8th Block, said.
The western side of the existing metro line has three main Cauvery water pipes inside the park. Since these pipes could be damaged, the alignment was moved further west and is expected to be along the 3rd Main Road.
The alignment was initially shifted from the eastern side to the western side after the Jayanagar 5th Block Residents’ Welfare Association proposed a few changes in the alignment and BMRCL accepted one of them.
The BMRCL, in its reply to an RTI application, said that the proposal had some merit though it involved putting up of taller piers (for cross over). In reply to another RTI application, BMRCL said: “The alignment for construction purpose in this corridor has been fixed considering the turning radius of curve, minimum number of properties involved, length of metro structure inside the park and minimum number of trees affected.”
Another resident asked: “Why did BMRCL not consider all these before fixing the original alignment on the eastern section?”
The residents on the western side also contest BMRCL’s argument that lesser number of trees would be cut with the change in the alignment. “While there are 181 trees on the western side, there are 161 trees on the eastern side (on the original alignment),” another resident argued. Further, the new section on the eastern side will be 600 metres long. It would have been 300 metres if BMRCL stuck to the original alignment, he said.
In a letter addressed to the State Chief Secretary, the residents who have formed a samanvaya vedike (coordination committee) have said that the cost of construction would also increase with the change in the alignment. Meanwhile, BMRCL Managing Director Pradeep Singh Kharola said: “Alignment for the Phase 2 has been fixed already. We have to study in detail on the requests for modifications in the alignment.”
