BBMP's Rs. 20 Crores Fund For Namma Metro Footpaths Misused

The BBMP has landed itself in yet another controversy. The fund of Rs. 20 crores that was allotted to build footpaths along the metro corridor seems to have been misused. Various standing committees involved in the project each took some money from the fund in order to build roads in their own wards, and, at present, there is not enough money to spend on BBMP's original project. The Palike has stated that this matter will be managed, and that there is nothing to be worried about. The BBMP and the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRC) had sat in several meetings with the Agenda for Bengaluru Infrastructure and Development (ABID) task force. A decision was finally reached to build world-class footpaths on all the feeder roads that connect the Namma Metro - Reach 1, from Byappanahalli to M G Road.

The footpaths around the cricket stadium on Cubbon Road, Trinity Circle, Ulsoor, and C M H Road were also supposed to be renovated. The 14 standing committees, however, decided to use Rs. 1 crore each for renovation of roads in their own wards, which are nowhere near the Namma Metro - Reach 1. Consequently, an amount of Rs. 6 crores is all that is left with the BBMP. People within the BBMP as well as the general public have condemned the misuse of funds. Many believe that it is the result of the lack of communication between the BBMP and the BMRC.

B S Yeddyurappa promises Metro as Ugadi gift !

Bangaloreans can expect a Ugadi gift if Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa’s promise in New Delhi on Friday that the commercial operations of the Metro will commence on April 4 comes true.

         Yeddyurappa told reporters that he plans to invite Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to flag off the Metro, “for which trial runs have already begun,” on Ugadi (April 4).

However, according to sources in Bangalore, the completion of the work is likely to miss that deadline, further pushing the commercial operations. Although several “static tests” are complete, trials on the main track, which began in the last week of January, have been hit by a small civil engineering snag, delaying the safety certification.

Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) spokesperson B L Y Chavan had earlier said the train will  have to go through tests on the main track for at least eight weeks before the commissioner of railway safety “can certify it as safe for commercial use.”
If the tests on the main run had continued without the glitch, then the train would have  completed the tests by March-end, making an April launch  possible.

But given that the BMRCL is already three weeks behind schedule, there is no way the train can be given the green signal for its commercial run before Ugadi, unless “a shortcut is found,” sources said in Bangalore.

Also, the political crisis in Karnataka has resulted in the postponement of the joint inspection, scheduled for January 24,  of the Metro run by Yeddyurappa and Union Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath. Yeddyurappa said Nath will  visit the City later this month. The chief minister denied any delay in the completion of the first phase from Byappanahalli to M G Road. He also ruled out changes in  the opening of  future lines and the next phase.

       Asked why Bangalore should have a high-speed train link to the airport when Delhi has only a Metro which will be connected to the airport shortly, the chief minister said no final decision has been taken in this regard. “Discussions are on. We are aware of the high cost of the proposed Bangalore’s high-speed City-airport train link. We will take a decision keeping the cost factor in view,” he added.

Sleepless METRO

Metro leaves residents sleepless :

            Those staying around CMH Road station complain that the ear-splitting noise from six granite-cutting machines is posing a serious health risk.

            Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation authorities are in a race against time to ensure that the Namma Metro is commercially operational as quickly as possible, but residents around CMH Road are complaining of sleepless nights due to the hectic work. Residents say they have not had a decent night’s rest in the last couple of month’s because the contractor involved in building the Metro station, has deployed dozens of workers to cut granite slabs in the residential area. The workers begin their task early in the morning and continue until midnight. The ear-splitting noise from the machines and the clouds of dust created by the cutting work are posing a serious health risk, residents say. When repeated pleas to the contractor fell on deaf ears, they decided to approach the Indiranagar police.

            Satish Rajanna, a long-time resident of 10th Cross, First Stage, Indiranagar, told Bangalore Mirror: “There are six granite cutting machines at the site. They are being used non-stop until late in the night. What is more, they don’t even apply water while cutting these slabs. Water helps reduce the noise. We have not been able to sleep for the last couple of months.”

             Satish revealed that BMRCL had earmarked a special areas where such work could be carried out. “We won’t have this problem if they work at the designated area. But this contractor is determined to make our life miserable. So we have sought police assistance,’’ Satish said. R Rajagopal, another resident of the area, alleged that the waste granite pieces are strewn all over the area, hindering pedestrians and motorists. “The BBMP is responsible for sweeping the roads, but they say it’s the job of the Metro workers. While they keep passing the buck, motorists and pedestrians are having a tough time,” Rajagopal said.

             Some residents say they cannot take their vehicles out of their houses because the contractor is using part of the barricaded road to park heavy vehicles. “We can’t walk, nor can we take our vehicles out,” Satish said. The contractor promised to shift work to the designated area only after the Indiranagar police arrived on the scene. But much to the agony of the residents, two fresh truckloads of granite slabs arrived on Monday. When the residents protested, the contractor guided the trucks to the designated area. But not before some of slabs were already unloaded.

Yashwant Chouhan, BMRCL spokesperson and public relations officer, promised to look into the issue.

“If work is disturbing the peace and quiet of the people, we will certainly ask the contractor to shift the work another area,” he said.

The Route map of Bengaluru Metro !

Bengaluru Metro Route Map

Countdown begins !

                  Work on Namma Metro’s Reach One stations has been fast-tracked, as chief minister BS Yeddyurappa announced on Tuesday that the trial run of the Metro train is scheduled to begin on January 24.

Yeddyurappa will inspect progress of work soon, and will take a ride on the train even as it does the trial runs.

                 There are six stations on Reach One, between Byappanahalli and MG Road. All stations have been witnessing work at a brisk pace. With just a week to go before trial runs begin, Metro officials find their hands tied. There is much work still to be done on the stations before the trial runs.

Questioned about all the work that remains to be done and the fast-approaching deadline, BLY Chavan, spokesperson of the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), said, “Work pressure has remained more or less the same. However, it is true that there is a lot of work still to be done before the trial runs begin.”

                 At the Byappanahalli Metro depot, where the station is at grade (meaning that it is at ground level), construction is ongoing on the foot over-bridge within the depot, connecting the station’s main entrance to the Old Madras Road.

                 Workers have been instructed that the ramp has to be ready for use by January 23. Ticketing counters at the Byappanahalli station will be made near the entrance gates at the Old Madras Road side of the depot. Structures for erecting the main frame of the foot over-bridge for the Swami Vivekananda (SV) Station on SV Road are being readied. Workers have been instructed that this work should be complete by Sunday.

              The station at Byappanahalli is getting whitewashed. The station on Chinmaya Mission Hospital (CMH) Road has already been whitewashed; it will soon get a coat of paint. The back wall of the Mahatma Gandhi (MG Road) Station has been painted yellow.

Many teams have been working simultaneously at different stations and junctions of Reach One. Security arrangements too are being made, ahead of trial runs.

              Escalators at all stations have been fitted. Half-walls are being erected, as boundaries to the stations. The third train, which was brought to the yard on Wednesday, was coupled only on Tuesday night. Electrical connections will be made into the coaches for static tests on the new train. Meanwhile, sources in the BMRC said that the committee for deciding the fares has already prepared a report. It is expected to meet next week; according to the BMRCL website, fares are expected to be one-and-a-half times the bus fares in the city.