Metro could bring high court down

Metro could bring high court down

Bosky Khanna & Senthalir S. Bangalore



One of Bangalore's heritage structures, the Karnataka high court, along with vidhana soudha and the general post office, face a serious threat of damage when tunnelling work for the Metro's underground section begins in the vicinity of these landmark structures in Cubbon Park.
Surprisingly, no scientific tests have been carried out at the site to ensure that these buildings are not damaged by the blasts that will be done to bore a kilometre-long tunnel through the hard, rocky underground.
Experts said the effect of the blasts will create vibrations travelling up to 200 metres. All the three buildings fall within this radius.
The project developers, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL), have indeed carried out pre-tunnelling blast tests on sub-surface rocky features to study its impact on structures. But that was done about four months ago, and that too, on the city's outskirts to study its impact on buildings, BMRCL sources admitted. Inexplicable indeed!
No blast (or simulation) tests have been carried out at the site to estimate the amount of damage that could occur to the high court, the vidhana soudha and the general post office.