CMH Road traders give in to Namma Metro

CMH Road traders give in to Namma Metro
Bangalore, DHNS:
Traders on CMH road seem to have finally lost their battle - the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has finally entered CMH Road, barricading 9.5 mts of the thoroughfare to begin work on the Namma Metro project.


For more than three years, the CMH Road Traders and Establishments Association, led by Imtiaz Ahmed, battled with the BMRCL, seeking a re-alignment of the mass transit project onto Old Madras Road. They tried convincing the State government and the managing directors of the BMRCL to do a rethink, but finally gave in.
Said Imtiaz Ahmed, “We urged the government for three long years to heed to our request. Right from K N Shrivastava to V Madhu and N Sivasailam, we hoped that the metro project would be realigned and save us from disaster.”

The BMRCL entered the CMH Road stating that there is no stay from the High Court of Karnataka to prevent it from going ahead with the project; and owners of business establishments located on Indiranagar’s busiest road say the future looks bleak for them.

Rammohan of Ganesh Medicals, a pharmacist on the road said that small establishments are worst affected.
“With big shopping malls having come up in other areas of Indiranagar, shoppers would prefer to go elsewhere, where parking is available. The barricading work has resulted in zero parking on CMH Road,” he said.

Led by senior counsel Pramila Nesargi, the traders and businessmen took the BMRCL to court by filing PILs (Public Interest Litigations) questioning the rationale of aligning the project on the road. With both parties to the dispute fighting it out in court - adjournments and all - the barricading of the road will result in scores of restaurants, shops and banks witnessing a sharp drop in visitors, what with the barricades leaving no room for vehicle parking, explain traders.