Metro work set to blow promenade off map

Metro work set to blow promenade off map
Deccan Herald

As the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation is all set to start work on the 7-km first stretch between MG Road and Byappanahalli, the famed promenade is staring at imminent doom.

The stroll won’t be the same anymore. After enriching the M G Road experience for generations of Bangaloreans, the famed promenade is staring at imminent doom.

As the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd gets set for a mid-April start of work on the 7-km first stretch (Reach 1, as it has been baptised) between MG Road and Byappanahalli, the promise of recreating an at-grade walkway --beneath the elevated stretch -- has also been made.

But the experience of sauntering on the elevated ridge alongside the busy M G Road with a long, leafy enclave on one side, will be hard to replace, according to some old Bangaloreans.

While the experts point at global examples and call for an underground Metro stretch, their key area of concern is the non-participatory model adopted for implementation of the Metro.



Non-participatory

“The global practice is to make the public participate in the implementation of mass rapid transit systems. Further, local expert esthetes are also called in for their suggestions,” B S C Rao, former executive director, Bangalore Mass Rapid Transit Limited, told Deccan Herald.

What’s more, the dedicated auto-rickshaw lane is also tipped to go, once work on the track kicks off. Which could mean more mess than it can hope to handle for the M G Road.



Cost factor

While some experts point at the cost escalation involved in constructing an underground MRTS stretch (see quotes), there’s also the contention that the price is not all that high when viewed against the devastation involved in the present alignment.

“The project cost is bound to go up anyway. If that helps in sparing the City such devastation, why not?” asked Jayakar Jerome, former BDA Commissioner.





HAVE YOUR SAY

The upcoming 7-km Bangalore Metro stretch will change the face of M G Road.

While the project has run into opposition over destruction of the elevated walkpath on MG Road, concerns have also been raised on the very logic behind the elevated stretch and alleged lack of transparency in decision-making.

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