Another `symbolic start' for much-awaited metro project

Another `symbolic start' for much-awaited metro project
The Hindu

BESCOM begins shifting of cables on Mahatma Gandhi Road

BANGALORE: For all practical purposes, the much-awaited Bangalore Metro Rail project got another "symbolic start" on Monday to mark the Gandhi Jayanti.

The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRC) appeared to have lived up to its promise of actually starting the work on the ground on this day. A board on the boulevard of Mahatma Gandhi Road near an electric junction box says the work of shifting electric lines started on October 2.

But people who peeped into the enclosure around the junction box found that the earth had not been dug up at all. The passers-by, who hardly found any work being done, wondered what the BMRC meant by commencement of work.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inaugurated the project on June 24 in a grand function at BRV Parade Ground by laying the foundation stone.

BMRC Managing Director V. Madhu told The Hindu that a puja was performed on Monday at the spot to mark the commencement of the work. This marked the beginning of the actual work related to metro on the ground, he said.

He said the BMRC wanted to avoid road digging at most of the sites identified on Mahatma Gandhi Road. Using a technology called horizontal direction drilling, a machine would cut the road underground about two metres below the surface. This would ensure that the traffic was not disturbed. This could not be done in all the places. But an attempt to would be made to avoid road digging wherever possible.

Mr. Madhu said the machine was expected soon. The horizontal direction drilling would start by Friday, he said.

To begin with, 14 places have been identified in the 7-km stretch of the east-west corridor of the metro — from Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium to Byappanahalli.

The corridor aims at connecting Byappanahalli and Mysore Road through metro rail.

The work for which puja was performed on Monday is being executed by BESCOM. It would complete the work in the stretch by October 20 as suggested.

The existing electric lines would not be disconnected for the work. This would be done only after a new set of lines are laid, tested and connected.

Mr. Madhu said the work of digging different roads at median would begin in the remaining stretches of the 33 km metro rail network. This is to ascertain the quality of soil and obtain the relevant statistics to decide on the type of pillars to be erected for the proposed bridge.

He said the actual work of building the bridge in the 7-km stretch would commence by December as announced earlier.