Stir puts a brake on Metro work

Stir puts a brake on Metro work

Staff Reporter
Hostellers, DSS up in arms over handing over of land for project
— Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

Protest: Residents of the Government Science College Hostel and members of Dalit organisations gherao a BMRCL official at the work spot on Mahatma Gandhi Road in Bangalore on Saturday.
Bangalore: Work on Metro rail station at Trinity Circle on Mahatma Gandhi Road here was stopped within hours after it commenced on Saturday morning as residents of the Government Science College Hostel along with a group of Dalit organisations launched a protest against the handing over of the hostel land for the Metro project.

The police resorted to lathi-charge as the protesters obstructed the work and allegedly assaulted officials of the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL).

According to the police, Deputy Chief Engineer, Hegga Reddy, and Section Engineer, BMRCL, Girish, were injured when the protesters obstructed them from discharging their duties.

Residents of the hostel (situated in front of Oberoi Hotel) began the protest on the vacant land attached to the hostel in the morning when the BMRCL officials, workers of a private contractor along with machines started work on the vacant land, which was handed to the BMRCL by the Social Welfare Department more than a year ago.

Later, several leaders of the Dalit Sangharsha Samiti, Samata Sainik Dal and others joined them alleging that the Government was attempting to hand over property earmarked for welfare of Dalits to private contractors in the guise of the Metro project.

Chandrashekar, Kiran, Vikas, all residents of the hostel, alleged that the Government was also planning to hand over the land on which the hostel stood to private companies.

The protesters agreed to stop the agitation against the Metro work after Social Welfare Commissioner K. Manjunath Prasad, who visited the place, assured them that the work would be stopped till the issue was resolved.

However, they refused to leave the place till the police personnel responsible for the lathi-charge were suspended.

A BMRCL spokesperson said the that work on the Metro station had been stopped temporarily.