No sooner the Karnataka High Court gave the green signal for commencement of work on underground metro stations at Vidhana Soudha and Minsk Square, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd., swung into action.
The alternative road, which will pass through the High Court lawns, will help divert traffic on the Dr Ambedkar Veedhi towards Multi-Storeyed Building. BMRCL has already completed a section of another alternative road in front of the Vidhana Soudha.
A total of 116 trees in Cubbon Park will have to be cut to pave the alternative road as well the revised Metro alignment.
Two underground stations – one in front of Vidhana Soudha and the other at Minsk Square – were under litigation before the High Court. Nearly after two years of legal battle, BMRCL has been asked to complete the underground work within 24 months. The court has directed the BMRCL not to undertake any commercial activity within the vicinity of Cubbon Park during or after the civil works and provide protective fencing for the court building. The work on underground metro, which should have originally started in April 2008 and completed by October 2010, was embroiled in finalisation of tenders. Then the BMRCL revised the schedules and kept June 2012 as the deadline for completion of the underground section.
In September 2005, the Empowered Committee headed by the Chief Secretary suggested alteration in the original underground alignment that would have taken a right turn at M.S. Building, traversed under Cubbon Park and emerged out near Bal Bhavan before proceeding on a ramp towards Queen's statue, to the present alignment in front of Vidhana Soudha as the former would have claimed nearly four acres of park land and about 70 trees.
If the BMRCL undertakes the work by squeezing the schedules as promised, the underground stretch on the East – West Corridor could be completed by the first quarter of 2013. The fate of underground stretch on the North – South Corridor between Swastik and K.R. Road would be decided after the contract for the same is awarded.
