A group of property owners who have establishments on the service road at HBR Layout have demanded that the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) scrap the proposed metro station on Outer Ring Road. They say that the proposed station would create traffic snarls on the narrow service road.
The station is part of the route to Kempegowda International Airport (KIA). The government had taken a decision to extend the metro line from K.R. Puram to KIA, and BMRCL is in the process of acquiring properties. It has identified more than 270 properties for acquisition.
The owners claim that the Outer Ring Road at HBR is only 50 feet wide, and that traffic moves through the service road during office hours.
Rajashekar, a property owner, said, “If BMRCL goes ahead with the plan, there is will be traffic chaos on the already congested and narrow service road.”
In a memorandum submitted to the BMRCL, they said that the proposed station is 0.9 km from Nagawara station and 1.2 km from HRBR Layout station on the other side.
“Shelving the station will not cause any inconvenience to passengers,” said another property owner.
BMRCL Chief PRO B.L. Yeshwanth Chavan said, “While identifying the location for a metro station, the BMRCL keeps in mind the interests of the public. Namma Metro is a mass transit system and very much needed for commuting on the ORR line. The BMRCL will take appropriate action on the suggestion made by the property owners keeping in mind the interests of residents.”
Another official of the BMRCL said that the the company is acquiring properties for building two entry points for the proposed station.
The plan is to build 10 stations on the ORR line from K.R. Puram to Hebbal, which includes the Nagawara interchange station with an underground line of Reach 6 (Gottigere-Nagawara) and elevated stations at Horamavu, Kalyan Nagar, and Channasandra.
