At least six landlords along Marenahalli Road are worried that they will lose parts of their property — for no fault of their own — as they now violate the horizontal clearance needed from a high-tension wire in the vicinity. A 66-kV high-tension line, which cuts across the road, appears to be in the way of the proposed double-decker flyover and metro line on the road.
To make way for the flyover and metro line, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. had raised the height of the 66-kV HT wire by replacing the towers on which it rests. The original towers on either side of the road, which were 11 metres high, have been replaced with 30-metre-high towers used for 220-kV lines. However, Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation (KPTCL) rules stipulate a “horizontal clearance” distance at which properties may come up from these lines. For a 66-kV line and tower, it is 1.5 metres, and for a 220-kV line and tower, it is 3.2 metres. With this alternation, some properties no longer stand outside the horizontal clearance.
Property owners and residents are worried about the fate of their homes and offices. “I had left a horizontal clearance of 1.5 metres for my building. Now, as they have changed the tower, I am unfairly being targeted. I will not be able to fully utilise my Floor Area Ratio of 3.25, for which I need to be compensated,” said Mohammed Khan, owner of a commercial complex. Property owners have written to the BMRCL seeking an NOC on the matter; without it, parts of their properties will be deemed illegal.
Following a series of electrocution deaths in the city, the KPTCL has now surveyed and identified 7,745 buildings developed under high-tension lines, which Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister G. Parameshwara has said would be demolished in phases. “This has put us in a quandary for no fault of our own,” said K. Ramesh, another property owner who has been affected.
However, Selva Kumar, managing director of KPTCL, said the properties along Marenahalli Road were unlikely to be affected.
A BMRCL engineer said horizontal clearance is a direct function of the width of the arm on top of the tower, which determines how far apart multiple lines of the high-tension wire are drawn. “The BMRCL is looking into the matter and will try to reduce the arm of the tower, thereby reducing the horizontal clearance,” he said.
Safety concerns
Meanwhile, property owners have raised rail safety issues as well. The distance between the proposed railway line and the HT tower is less than the height of the tower, which essentially means if the tower falls, it would fall on the railway line. “Rail safety guidelines bar such towers,” said Mr. Ramesh.
However, the rule, which was part of the rail safety guidelines for over six decades, was relaxed last year. “The rule originally stated that the distance between an electric tower and rail line must be three metres more than the height of the tower. However, it was relaxed last year. Now, a distance of three metres is enough for a self-supporting tower,” said K.A. Manoharan, Commissioner of Railway Safety, Southern Circle, Bengaluru.
Railway activist and engineer Sanjeev V. Dyamannanavar said additional safety measures must be taken to strengthen the towers to be sure there is no fall. “Metro is critical infrastructure. Any fall would not only be risky, but will bring the entire metro service to a halt,” he said.
