M G Road shops hail Namma Metro

M G Road shops hail Namma Metro
Friday April 13 2007 11:24 IST

BANGALORE: With less than two days for the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRC) to begin its work on the M G Road, the vintage shops on M G Road have welcomed the move.

‘‘Metro works on M G Road will begin on Sunday as per the schedule. The boulevard will be partially cleared, Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will issue orders and carry out the felling of trees,’’ said executive director of BMRC, M S Nagendra.

Talking about the number of trees that will be cut down, BBMP tree officer, Krishna Udpudi said, ‘‘We will cut down the trees for the immediate requirement of the BMRC.

About 11 trees will be cut beginning from the Anil Kumble Circle. Extreme precautionary measures have been taken for cutting down the trees. Axing trees will be kept to the bare minimum.

It will be more of pruning than slashing trees,’’ he said Welcoming the BMRC move, owners of vintage shops on M G Road hoped that the project will cause minimal inconvenience to their regular business. Higgin Bothams Book store regional manager, Dominic Michael, remarked, ‘‘The infrastructure of the city needs to meet the international standards, and metro rail is one of the requirements for public transport.

Metro is the panacea for the traffic snarls in the city.’’ Manager of Koshy’s Restaurant Prem Koshy said, ‘‘The Bangalore Metro is a good move towards public transportation.

Although it’s sad that the boulevard will be lost. The BMRC has promised to plant trees but rearing them is another concern authorities will have to take care of. The BMRC and the public ought to work together to restore the greenery back on M G Road,’’ added Koshy.

Talking of the possible loss of natural beauty the M G Road will lose to the Metro Rail Project, senior manager of Cauvery Emporium Mohammed Salauddin said, ‘‘The boulevard is a scenic splendour of M G Road.

Loss of trees will deface the way, but the Metro is also a necessity for public transportation.’’