Mono rail is better than the metro

Mono rail is better than the metro

Sudipa Chakraborty

Every month, thousands of trees are being cut in the city for infrastructure development. More than 9,500 trees have already been felled for the metro rail project. According to estimates, 15, 000 trees will be felled for the project. Speaking on the sidelines of a seminar in Bangalore, Justice MF Saldanha said it is suicidal to cut trees to widen roads, even if it's for infrastructure. Recently, he also wrote to chief minister BS Yeddyurappa on the issue. Sudipa Chakraborty spoke to him.

Have you received any reply to your letter to the chief minister?
No, not even an acknowledgement has been sent to me yet. I had personally faxed this letter to his personal fax numbers on December 31, 2008 at 3 pm. I also spoke to one of the secretaries at chief minister's office to confirm it. They confirmed that they have received the letter.

What are the main issues discussed in the letter?
It mainly touches three major issues: large-scale felling of trees, the unscientific metro rail project and certain problems concerning the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA).

But won't metro be an answer to Bangalore's traffic woes? Is there any alternative?
Bangalore definitely needs a better public transport system. But, if there are better options available, why go for a 118-year-old technology called metro? It is a conventional mode of transport which can ply only on broad roads. The underground concept is even more unscientific and consumes a large amount of energy.
The best alternative to metro is monorail. It is elevated and can travel through the narrowest of spaces. It is faster and environment-friendly too. Solar energy can be used for monorail. About 26 cities around the world uses monorail.

If we need to switch to mono rail, what about the work already done for metro?
Whatever work has been done, the existing set-up can be used for the setting up of monorail.

If road-widening is not the solution to address traffic congestion, what are the other measures?
Road-widening is certainly not the solution to traffic congestion. Synchronisation of signals and strict enforcement of the lane system are the best ways to ease traffic congestion in Bangalore. Traffic indiscipline needs to be curbed. If autos, buses and other private vehicles follow lane discipline, we can solve the congestion problem in Bangalore. Cities like Paris and London are very old and have smaller roads. But, there the situation is not alarming. Instead of road widening, the government should concentrate on improving the road surfaces.

What next?
We got to be persistent. Protest rallies will not help. We are planning to hold a session in Vidhan Souda next. We will talk to the cabinet ministers and secretaries. I am sure they will listen.