A plan to turn Hebbal on Ballari Road into a gateway to Bengaluru for those arriving at the airport is yet to take off, five years after it was mooted.
The proposal is gathering dust because of a lack of interest by the government.
Originally proposed around 2010, the project to start an intermodal transport hub in Hebbal gained traction in 2013, when the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) undertook a survey of commuters to understand if they would be willing to travel to Hebbal and change buses for the airport instead of having buses from various parts of the city.
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“The survey was positive. We have land at Hebbal and are using it as a depot for our Volvo buses.
The problem began because we do not have access to Ballari Road from our depot, as it is surrounded by land which belongs to the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA),” a senior BMTC official said.
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BDA officials, however, say that there was no formal request from the BMTC seeking the land.
“There is no question of handing over the land to BMTC. They will have to buy it from us,” a senior official with BDA said.
In the meantime, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has jumped in and started a few services from the area. Its depot, located on the ring road near the Hebbal flyover, is a place that interests all agencies.
“It is a very important part of the city to have connectivity to. We are definitely interested. The Urban Development Department (UDD), BMRCL and BMTC are discussing the possibilities,” said U.A. Vasanth Rao, spokesperson, BMRCL.
“The plan was to have a transport hub on the lines of Majestic where you have local, State and long haul buses besides railway, metro and other forms of transport, like autorickshaws. Because of the location of Hebbal and its connectivity to the airport, it will become a hub of transport,” says Traffic and Transportation expert M.N. Sreehari.
Commuter rail
He suggested terminating the Commuter Rail System at the hub in Hebbal. People wanting to travel to the airport could use the proposed Metro rail to KIA.
“I think this will happen in the next five to six years. It has been discussed in the vision 2020 plan of the UDD,” he said.
Transport and District In Charge Minister Ramalinga Reddy said that the proposal had not been placed before him.