‘Metro route changed to avoid land acquisition’

‘Metro route changed to avoid land acquisition’

Staff Reporter
BANGALORE: Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) has said the underground alignment of Namma Metro near the Vidhana Soudha here was changed [to what it is now] to avoid permanent acquisition of nearly four acres of land in the Cubbon Park.

The original alignment as per the detailed project report (DPR) prepared by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. in 2003 would have run beneath the Cubbon Park after the Vidhana Soudha underground station near the Vikasa Soudha and surfaced near the Jawahar Bal Bhavan.

The Cricket Stadium Station would have been an elevated one and come up near the Mahatma Gandhi Park.

Realising this, the Government changed the underground alignment in 2005 to run along Dr. Ambedkar Veedhi till GPO Circle, move right towards Minsk Square and reach BRV Parade Grounds, said an official release.

Reduced
Thus, the permanent acquisition of land in Cubbon Park has been reduced to 2,126 square metres.

The underground alignment does not run below important structures, namely the Vidhana Soudha, the High Court, the Central College and other buildings on Kempe Gowda Road.

In the North-South Corridor too, the underground alignment passes under the existing road, close to heritage structures of Tipu Palace, Bangalore Fort and Kote Venkataramanaswamy Temple.