Metro: Demolition postponed

Metro: Demolition postponed
DH News Service, Bangalore:

The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has postponed the demolition of the police housing quarters spread across an area of 1.5 acres on Old Madras Road, Halasoor.

V Madhu, managing director of BMRCL, said the structural demolition that was supposed to have begun on February 6 has been postponed by a few days due to technical reasons.

“We have barricaded the entire area housing the police quarters on Sunday. The structural engineers entrusted with the task of demolition, Binyas Contech Private Limited have already moved in the heavy equipment to carry out the task. We are taking additional precautions, so the delay” Mr Madhu told Deccan Herald on Tuesday.
Payment on track

Meanwhile, the BMRCL has paid compensation to eight land owners who have given their consent to hand over their property/land for the project on Reach One (Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium to New Byappanahalli). “A total of 92 property owners in Reach One are expected to hand over their property and accept compensation. BMRCL has handed over 75 compensation packages to the KIADB (Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board) entrusted with the task. We hope to complete this,” Mr Madhu added.

Building condition survey and valuation of buildings in Reach 2 (City Railway station to Mysore Road) is expected to be complete by March 2008 and Reach 3 (Swastik to Peenya) by the end of April.

Piling work
The BMRCL completed piling work on 19 via-ducts out of the 50 on MG Road by February 1. It now hopes to complete the entire work by June 2008 so as to facilitate placing the ‘Super Structure’ (Concrete platforms) on the via-ducts, added Mr Madhu.

The via-duct construction on Old Madras Road is also going on in full swing.

Work on Reach 2 and 3 are expected to begin only after the tender process on the design of the depot at Byappanahalli (presently ongoing) is complete.

Delay
Mr Madhu said the construction of apartments to house the rehabilitated residents from the Basaveshwara and Jai Bhim habitations has been delayed as the Health Department has not agreed to give land to BMRC. “The government has been requested to identify fresh land. The tender process will take place now only after we are given land,” he explained.

The process, expected to begin in September 2007, could now take shape only by April or May 2008.