SWR yet to approve road project

SWR yet to approve road project
Vijay Times

THE blue print prepared by a traffic expert, appointed by the Bangalore City Corporation (BCC) and the South W estern Railway (SWR), in connection with the straightening of a road connecting the Rajajinagar entrance with the City Railway Station and the construction of two flyovers is awaiting the approval of the SWR.

The mega project, estimated to cost around Rs 50 crore, will be taken up by the BCC and the SWR.

T alking to B BV VT T , SWR Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Mahesh Kumar said the plan prepared by them was yet to be approved by the Railways, which was considering the feasibility of the project.

"Once the plan is approved, both technically and practically , the Railways will give a go ahead to the plan," he said.

W e will have to study whether the new project will benefit or hit commuters reaching the railway station from various parts of the City including Malleswaram, Rajajinagar and Magadi Road. By allowing the Okhalipuram Road to be straightened, we will be losing some portion of the land and in the process, easy access to the station, Kumar said.

"There is a combination of routes which both, the BCC and the Railways, will have to bear in mind before commencing the project. Meanwhile, the crisscrossing of roads should also be avoided," he said.

The BCC had sent a proposal on straightening the road near Okhalipuram to the Railways to enable free movement of traffic between Rajajinagar and the City Railway Station , Mahesh Kumar added. The proposal was pending for a long time, he informed.

T o decentralise administration, the Railways would construct a railway station with facilities like ticket counters, dormitories, STD booths and stalls at the rear entrance of the station.

"Parking facility will be provided in such a way that commuters can easily reach their destination," Kumar said.

If the plan is approved, two flyovers are likely to come up. One near RR Kalyana Mantap and the other near Khoday’s Circle enabling free flow of vehicles, he added.

The cost would be borne by the BCC while the Railways would execute the job. The Railways would not spend money on straightening the road and on the construction of flyovers, he said.

An official from BCC said they were planning to construct Reinforced Earth T echniques (RET) at lower costs (estimated to be Rs 6,000 per sq mtr). He explained that if they were going for a flyover , they would have to shell out Rs 15,000 per sq mtr .

However , he said he was yet to have a meeting with Railways DRM Mahesh Kumar in this regard.