Metro Rail not to pass through Cubbon Park

Metro Rail not to pass through Cubbon Park
Deccan Herald

The Bangalore Metro will not pass through Cubbon Park. Following protests against the proposed route of metrorail, under which the metro was supposed to go under the ground inside Cubbon Park, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRC) has said that the route will be realigned so as to avoid intruding into the City’s leading lung space.

The Bangalore Metro will not pass through Cubbon Park. Following protests against the proposed route of metrorail, under which the metro was supposed to go under the ground inside Cubbon Park, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRC) has said that the route will be realigned so as to avoid intruding into the City’s leading lung space.

The metro will now be underground at Ambedkar Veedhi, take a turn under General Post Office building to connect with the underground station at Minsk Square. It will become elevated at the Police Parade Ground on M G Road.

Announcing the details of Bangalore Metro at an interactive session organised by Federation of Jayanagar Residents Association on Monday, BMRC Managing Director K N Shrivastava assured that the metro route proposed for Jayanagar is intended to minimise the inconvenience to the residents. The metro will be elevated in Jayanagar area, connecting South End Circle and Rajalakshmi Kalyana Mantapa on RV Road, running over the Lakshman Rao Boulevard.

When residents protested that the route will “disrupt the peace and beauty of the area”, Shrivastava admitted that the boulevard will be affected, “but we will make your life more comfortable in the end.”

When a resident asked if private properties will be acquired to make way for the metro, Shrivastava said that they will reduce private land acquisition, required for building stations, to the barest minimum. “There will be no private land acquisitions for Jayanagar station, as it will be developed on a park,” he clarified.

Shrivastava said the construction work on the first seven kms stretch from Byapannahalli to Chinnaswami Cricket Stadium is likely to commence in January. The appointment of general consultants, who will look into the day-to-day progress of the project, will be finalised by April, he said. “Till then, the work will be supervised by New Delhi-based RITES limited,” he added.