Metro work: No dump site for debris

Metro work: No dump site for debris

November 23rd, 2009
By Our Correspondent
Tags: debris, Metro Rail project


Nov. 22: The excavation for the underground stretch of Metro Rail at Majestic will unearth huge problems for the city. The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) is likely to begin the work in a week but the agency is yet to identify a site to dump the tonnes of debris which will be generated during the exercise.
Ecologists now fear that if proper sites are not identified soon, lakes in the city could be choked with the debris like in the past. Earlier, several infrastructure projects have ensured the death of many city lakes and vacant green patches. Several landfill sights came up once the construction boom began in the IT city in the late 90s. With many buildings coming up in the last 10 years, quite a few lakes died a permanent death. Once excavation work begins at Majestic, 100 truckloads of mud will be lifted from the construction site every day but the authorities are silent on where they will dump this. “The excavation will begin in an area of about 7.5 acres for 90 days. Though it has been decided that the debris will be transported at night, there have been no measures to check the resulting dust pollution once the machines start drilling the rocky area,” explained an ecologist. But BMRCL does not have any plans in place on how the trucks will move from the main city area till the dump yard. The traffic police has also not been informed. “Though several bus stops across the city will accommodate the buses running to different sectors, Majestic will still remain a busy area due to the commercial establishments, markets and the railway station. The authorities have to come up with a road map and a transportation policy,” the ecologist added.
BMRCL sources admitted that a final spot has not been identified but efforts are on to do so. “A few quarry pits on the outskirts of the city have been identified at Hennur and off K Narayana Pura, but a final decision on the dump site is yet to be taken,” they said.