Bengaluru: The under-construction Kodigehalli railway under bridge, which has not been completed even after three years, has made life a nightmare for nearby residents and shopkeepers. In fact work has come to a standstill owing to land acquisition issues.
The construction is being undertaken by BBMP and South Western Railway (SWR) and those residing in nearby areas such as Thindlu, Vidyaranyapura, Dhanalakshmi Layout, Anand Bhadavane Layout, Veerupakshipura and Kemspegowda Nagar are forced to take long detours. They often end up driving 3-4 km extra to reach the other side. It is very risky for pedestrians trying to cross to the other side. Last week, Prajwal (21), a student from MS Ramaiah college, lost his life while crossing the railway track.
Moreover, very few people who had to vacate their property for the project have been compensated. Lakshmi Narayan (45), a local resident, said “It’s been almost three years after they started the project and so far only five house owners have been provided compensation. There are hundreds of people who cross this railway line to reach the other side and many have even lost their lives.”
Madhapan (57), who owns a chicken shop, said, “I had a shop here before and used to pay a monthly rent of Rs 5,000. Now that I have vacated the shop, I am not getting any new shop for rent. I had taken a bank loan, but I don’t know how to repay it.”
BBMP Executive Engineer Mukunda said, “There are land acquisition issues and the Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) was not given to BBMP earlier. Now that the negotiation with the landowners has been being finalized and the council has approved it, we will soon begin the document verification process, according to Karnataka Municipal Corporation act (KMC), 1976. Around 80 per cent of the acquisition is being completed and we will soon resume the work.” For those who had to vacate their property for the project and those residing nearby, the long torturous wait continues.
