Indiranagar residents want metro, shopkeepers don’t

Indiranagar residents want metro, shopkeepers don’t
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: While the CMH Road shopkeepers are opposing the metro on CMH, some residents of Indiranagar want it. An interaction session between the Bangalore Mass Rapid Transit Limited (BMRTL), residents and shopkeepers of Indiranagar was held on Monday.

Some residents have suggested that the metro should pass through 100 feet road, joining Airport road and then MG Road. The shopkeepers stuck to their demand of keeping the metro away from CMH road and suggested that it may pass through Old Madras road.

Many former bureaucrats residing in Indiranagar have opposed the metro on CMH road. One among them was former foreign secretary, A.P. Venkateshwaran who said that the rider ship will go up by 77 percent if the metro comes on Old Madras road.

Former Chief Secretary and former chairman of the City Improvement Trust board at the time of the development of Indiranagar said that the lifeline of Indiranagar will be destroyed. ‘‘All relevant arguments must be considered,’’ he said.

Another argument that was put forth by residents and shopkeepers was that if metro goes through Old Madras road, parking too will not be a problem. ‘‘The realignment to Old Madras road will save Rs 400 crore,’’ Imtiaz Ahmed, president, CMH Road Shopowners and establishments association said.

Kundapur MLA and owner of Shantisagar hotel, Gopal Poojary said that shops on CMH Road gave more revenue to the government and if the metro comes, the government will lose the revenue.

BMRTL Managing Director, K.N. Shrivastava tried to convince them but in vain. He said that realigning the metro to Old Madras road would bring down rider ship by 15 percent.

‘‘Metro is aligned through CMH Road since it is a shopping hub and many people can use it,’’ he said. The turning radius will be reduced so that the number of properties to be acquired will also be reduced. He squashed their claim that the realignment would save Rs. 400 Crore.

‘‘The elevated section costs Rs. 75 Crore per kilometre and the realignment will save only Rs. 40 crore,’’ he said.

The construction work will be done between 11 pm and 5 am with minimum harm to the business, he said. The first phase will be completed in five years and the section between Byappanahalli to the Cricket stadium will be taken up three years from now, he said. The fares in 2011 will start from Rs. 6 to Rs. 13.

Former chief secretary A. Ravindra said that public consultations must be taken as a serious affair and genuine concerns must be examined objectively.

However, people were not happy with the programme and called it ‘‘an eye-wash.’’