Legal hurdles lie ahead for Metro

Legal hurdles lie ahead for Metro

September 4th, 2009
By Our Correspondent



Bengaluru
Sept. 3: Legal tangles could delay work on the Metro Rail project near Cubbon Park.
Three Acts and a court order may prove to be hurdles for the transit system project in the area, legal experts say. A court order does not allow the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) to carry out work in Cubbon Park, Vidhana Soudha and high court areas without proper clearance.
High court advocate Sunil Dutt Yadav said that BMRCL has not sought any change in the Comprehensive Development Plan prepared by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA). “If BMRCL is changing land use in Cubbon Park, the lawns of the high court and the area in front of Vidhana Soudha, it must seek a change in the CDP under section 14 of Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act, 1961. BMRCL must also seek permission under the Karnataka Tree Preservation Act and Karnataka Government Parks Preservation Act — both Acts ban any change in land use in and around Cubbon Park,” he added,
Petitioners are now questioning the CDP for not mentioning the stations in the Metro Rail map where only the track on which the rail will run is mentioned. They have pointed out that the recent observations by A.N. Yellappa Reddy, chairman of BBMP’s Biodiversity Management Committee, and the refusal to allow BMRCL authorities to chop down so many trees must be taken seriously by the government. BMRCL is planning to begin the work at the earliest as underground work for the Metro Rail will require time and space for which parts of Cubbon Park and high court will be used.
“While some places around Minsk Square will be used for Metro Rail, an alternative road is expected on the high court lawns which will be made after felling trees. Around 109 trees are marked for felling in and around Cubbon Park,” points out Vinay Srinivasa, a volunteer from Hasiru Usiru