Traders protest metro, bandh on Thursday

Traders protest metro, bandh on Thursday
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: Members of the CMH Road Traders Association have decided to close their shops and business establishments on Thursday, to protest work on Metro Rail alignment that is expected to begin soon.

The Association wants the State Government to change the alignment from CMH Road and Indiranagar to Old Madras Road, so that there is less demolition of buildings.

“We have nothing against the Chief Minister. Our demand is that the alignment be changed in the interest of a large number of traders on CMH Road,” Association president Imtiyaz Ahmed said.

Earlier, when traders and residents of Indiranagar opposed the alignment, the State Government had constituted an expert committee headed by Justice Shivashankar Bhat. The Committee had turned down the traders’ demand and recommended that that the alignment can include the CMH Road.

The Government and the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) have made it clear that there will be no change in the alignment. The BMRCL has also worked out a compensation plan for the people who will be affected by the project.

The ground work for the project is expected to start soon. BMRCL is in the process of finalising the general consultant to assist the Government agency to implement the biggest-ever single infrastructure project in city.