Metro picks speed, slows commuters

etro picks speed, slows commuters

Sunitha Rao R. Bangalore



As work on the Bangalore Metro progresses, city dwellers too are beginning to feel the heat. Welding and soldering work continues right through the night, and vehicles and pedestrians often move about on the streets even while work is in progress above them. Huge cranes and JCBs have been moving on city roads, squeezing the space available for motorists.
Speaking to DNA, Viswanath S, an IT professional who resides in Jayanagar, said, "BMRCL should keep people better informed of the progress of different works, and the closing of certain roads for vehicles—we need to have people posted near the junctions, informing us if routes are blocked. That has not been happening. It is often only once you get to the blocked road that you know that the Metro has blocked off traffic. This is disconcerting, a waste of time." Besides, Viswanath observes that most of the home guards engaged by the Metro are old men—they need to have young and energetic people working for them, says the IT professional.
Mahima SL, who rides her two-wheeler to office at St Marks Road every day, from her residence in Jeevanbhima Nagar, says, "The roads in Indiranagar and Jayanagar are completely spoilt. They are so narrow now, and there is also work in progress right above us. It's impossible to avoid the roads where work is in progress—it's happening in all the major roads in the city."
Defending the Metro, a senior Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) official says, "We are careful to barricade the area where work is in progress. All safety measures too are taken very stringently. We have also had a series of meeting with residents of the areas where work has begun—public meetings have been held with residents' welfare associations in Indira Nagar, Jayanagar and Rajajajinagar. We have made presentations of the project to different organizations in the city. Traffic diversions are always done in consultation with the traffic police."
Residents also complained that while the Metro work began on CMH Road, many water pipelines were broken. This caused flooding on the roads, and disrupted the supply of water to homes, throwing life out of gear. The Metro must also ensure the safety of those engaged in the work, says Pandiyan, a labourer on the MG Road stretch of the Metro. At Ulsoor, labourers work without the protective gear. Pandiyan says that the fine dust particles cause irritation in his eyes, and pedestrians too have to put up with the disruption caused by the work.
Niranjan Sharnoi, whose house is close to MG Road, says, "They continue work till late into the night—the drilling, welding and digging carries on, even as vehicles move without a care for the ongoing work."
There has been an increase in the numbers of roads on which vehicles can only ply one-way since the Metro construction began, says Diva, who works in an office on MG Road. The pedestrian paths are now routinely used by two-wheelers, she observes, leaving little space for those walking.