Bengaluru: Jayanagar residents stop Metro in its tracks

Bengaluru: Namma Metro has hit a roadblock at the same spot where they encountered problems in Phase 1. Jayanagar residents have dragged BMRCL before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to prevent the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation from axing trees at Lakshman Rao Park to build the RV Road station (Phase-1).

The construction of RV Road-Bommasandra line under Phase 2 is yet to take off, though the tender has already been awarded to a contractor. “We have not started work on RV Road under Phase 2. Some citizens filed a complaint with the National Green Tribunal last year and the case is yet to be resolved," a BMRCL officer said.

The department changed the alignment of Phase 2 RV line after facing criticism. The new alignment goes over the existing Green Line, but still encroaches into the park.

“The viaducts (pillars) will be adjacent to the road and partly in the park area. Not much of Lakshman Rao Park will be affected. The new station will be right opposite the old one, taking up a space of 165x25 metres. People will only have to walk the concourse distance to change lines," explained Channappa Goudar, Metro Land Acquisition Officer.

Mr Vinay Sreenivasa of Hasiru Usiru said, “There is no clarity on how much of the park will actually go. They have deviated from their Environment Impact Assessment and the detailed project report (DPR) did not mention Lakshman Rao Park. We don't know how many trees will be axed. This project needs to be stopped and reviewed."

“They will need very large pillars, occupying space, for RV line in Phase-2. These will have to go over the green line. If they had planned it earlier, Phase-1 and Phase-2 would have integrated at this interchange. Now they are building a separate station altogether," lamented Mr Srinidhi, a member of Advocacy group Praja RAAG.