Friday, April 5, 2013
Land acquisition for Metro phase II faces poll hurdle
The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) is ready with the land acquisition plan for executing phase II of the Namma Metro project.
However, the model code of conduct for the elections has come in the way of the notification and tendering process, which may have to wait till May second week.
BMRCL officials said they had written to the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB), asking it to issue preliminary notification for the acquisition of land necessary for the construction of corridors.
However, KIADB is not in a position to do so as no fresh tenders can be floated with the code of conduct in place, said an official.
Sources in KIADB said they had written to the Election Commission in this regard and they were awaiting response.
Phase II includes four extension lines and two new lines with a total length of 72 km, to be implemented at an estimated cost of Rs 26,405 crore.
Properties identified
The BMRCL has identified a total of 941 immovable properties (both private and public) along the alignment of the project corridors under phase II.
While 151 properties have been identified along the 15.5-km line from Baiyyappanahalli to Whitefield, for the 6.45-km line between Mysore Road terminal to Kengeri, there are 57 properties.
For the 3.77-km line between Hesaraghatta Cross and BIEC along Tumkur Road, the number is 32. For the 6.29-km line between Puttenahalli Cross and Anjanapura, it is 71.
For the 18.82-km line from R V Road to Bommasandra, it is 212; and for the 21.25-km Gottigere-IIMB-Nagavara line, the number is 418.
Needed connectivity
Once both the phases of Namma Metro are complete, they will provide connectivity from Majestic to Whitefield in the East, Kengeri in the West, BIEC along Tumkur Road in the North and Anjanapura Township in the South.
Also, two new lanes under phase II from Jayanagar to Electronics City and Nagavara to Gottigere are expected. While phase I is expected to be operational by the end of 2014, phase II is expected to be completed by 2017-18.
Gali Anjaneya road over drain thrown open to traffic
According to a senior official from the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the bridge can now be used by residents of Vijayanagar and RPC Layout to go directly to Mysore Road, near the Gali Anjaneya Temple. They had to earlier come to KIMCO Junction on Mysore Road via Deepanjali Nagar.
Though the civic body issued the work order in 2005, the work was taken up in 2006 at an estimated cost of Rs. 20.83 crore. The deadline for the project, which was entrusted to NPCC, was postponed several times, thereby escalating the project cost to Rs. 30 crore.
The bridge has been designed to have clockwise vehicular movement, thereby easing traffic on Mysore Road.
The official conceded that the bridge should have had one-in-10 slope (i.e., one foot slope for every 10 ft). This would have taken the bridge till the mosque on Mysore Road, opposite Gali Anjaneya Temple. “We were forced to alter the plans following resistance from the people,” the official said.
However, this created a bottleneck near the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation’s Satellite Bus Stand on Mysore Road.
The road between Gali Anjaneya Temple and the satellite bus stand is very narrow. Chaos and confusion was witnessed here minutes after traffic was allowed on the bridge.
The official said that there was a proposal to provide a down ramp to the bus stand. “We asked KSRTC to pay Rs. 10 crore for it. They refused and the proposal was dropped,” he added.
Another problem before the BBMP was the proposed flyover from NICE Road at this point till Sirsi Circle to be constructed by Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise.
“The company has signed a memorandum of understanding with the State government. However, as that work has not been taken up, the BBMP could only take up road-level works,” the official said.
The official added that the BBMP had now proposed to take up the reconstruction of the old bridge near Gali Anjaneya Temple.
“Based on the recommendations of the Centre for Infrastructure, Sustainable Transportation and Urban Planning, the bridge will be reconstructed, as the vents are small. We are proposing to construct a semi-circle arch bridge with pre-cast elements here,” he added.
Palike may acquire more land for flyover
The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) may need to acquire some private properties to construct the proposed flyover at the Kittur Rani Chennamma Circle near the DG Petrol Pump in Katriguppe.
The long-pending proposal for 352-metre-long flyover to overcome traffic bottleneck at the Chennamma Junction got the Cabinet approval on Tuesday night. The project is part of the signal-free corridor from Bannerghatta Road to the Nayandahalli Junction and it will be built on the road along the Kadirenahalli underpass towards Nayandahalli. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 23 crore, which may escalate further due to inflation.
The Palike sources said that at least 2,600 sq metres of land may need to be acquired for the project. The Palike may have to acquire at least 1,100 sq metres of private land as there is 1,500-sq metres of land belonging to the BDA and the BBMP available.
Earlier, the Palike had planned a three-tier grade-separator at the Chennamma Circle, including an underpass, which was supposed to be built from Padmanabha Nagar end towards KIMS Medical College. The presence of a major stormwater drain near the road junction made the project impractical.
41 trees face axe to facilitate BBMP project
As many as 41 trees located in the City centre, between the Okalipuram area and Fountain Circle near Majestic, will face the axe soon as part of the ongoing eight-lane corridor project undertaken by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).
This means the green canopy at Okalipuram will soon be a thing of the past. The project aims to ensure seamless connectivity for vehicles coming from West Bangalore, namely from areas Rajajinagar, Malleswaram, Vijayanagar and Basaveshwarnagar towards Majestic.
In a public notice issued on Tuesday, BBMP Commissioner Siddaiah said the project was the need of the hour as vehicle users were witnessing nightmares round the clock due to traffic jams.
Two railway lines extending from City Railway Station also pass perpendicular to the existing road now and the space below the railway bridge is very narrow. Once the project is commissioned, it would be a signal-free corridor with wider space for vehicles along the stretch. To facilitate the project implementation 41 trees will be cut in the due course of time, the notice said.
Officials at BBMP, however, said felling of the trees will be in a phased manner and could begin in two weeks’ time. In the meanwhile, the public can also raise objections.
Even though the eight-lane corridor project was conceived more than five years ago, it was only in December 2012 when the foundation stone was laid for the project by Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar.
The project, with an estimated cost of Rs 183 crore, will have road underbridges, loops and an underpass to decongest the narrow roads between Okalipuram Junction and Fountain Circle (called as Vatal Nagaraj Road). The stretch is presently witnessing more than 14,000 passenger car units per hour during the peak hours.
Environmentalist Prabhakar Reddy said the Palike should first go for a bio-mass analysis of existing trees on the stretch before venturing towards felling the trees.
There are a good number of rain trees and mahagony trees here. It won’t be a good idea to rush towards tree-cutting without doing a cost benefit analysis, he added.
Madhu K, a member of Hasiru Usiru said the area surrounding Majestic has been losing green sheen for one or the other infrastructure project. Seshadri Road and Race Course Road are a few examples
This means the green canopy at Okalipuram will soon be a thing of the past. The project aims to ensure seamless connectivity for vehicles coming from West Bangalore, namely from areas Rajajinagar, Malleswaram, Vijayanagar and Basaveshwarnagar towards Majestic.
In a public notice issued on Tuesday, BBMP Commissioner Siddaiah said the project was the need of the hour as vehicle users were witnessing nightmares round the clock due to traffic jams.
Two railway lines extending from City Railway Station also pass perpendicular to the existing road now and the space below the railway bridge is very narrow. Once the project is commissioned, it would be a signal-free corridor with wider space for vehicles along the stretch. To facilitate the project implementation 41 trees will be cut in the due course of time, the notice said.
Officials at BBMP, however, said felling of the trees will be in a phased manner and could begin in two weeks’ time. In the meanwhile, the public can also raise objections.
Even though the eight-lane corridor project was conceived more than five years ago, it was only in December 2012 when the foundation stone was laid for the project by Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar.
The project, with an estimated cost of Rs 183 crore, will have road underbridges, loops and an underpass to decongest the narrow roads between Okalipuram Junction and Fountain Circle (called as Vatal Nagaraj Road). The stretch is presently witnessing more than 14,000 passenger car units per hour during the peak hours.
Environmentalist Prabhakar Reddy said the Palike should first go for a bio-mass analysis of existing trees on the stretch before venturing towards felling the trees.
There are a good number of rain trees and mahagony trees here. It won’t be a good idea to rush towards tree-cutting without doing a cost benefit analysis, he added.
Madhu K, a member of Hasiru Usiru said the area surrounding Majestic has been losing green sheen for one or the other infrastructure project. Seshadri Road and Race Course Road are a few examples
23 shops on Mysore Road demolished for road widening
In an early morning operation on Saturday, the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), with heavy police protection, demolished 23 shops abutting a mosque on Mysore Road here to make way for road widening.
While the BBMP officials claimed that the shops had encroached the already narrow stretch on Mysore Road, the traders were shocked to find out that the civic body was razing down their shops.
Imran Khan, whose tea stall was demolished, told The Hindu that he and his father had been managing this for the past 52 years. “The BBMP did not give us any notice. At least they could have given us time to vacate the shops,” he said.
Syed Abdul Matheen (75) runs a furniture shop here for the past 25 years. He said that he will now be forced to sell the furniture he salvaged at half the price. “I already have a loan of Rs. 4.5 lakhs to repay. Now with this loss, I do not know if I will be able to repay it at all,” he lamented.
It is said that the shops were rented out by the mosque. Most shops had encroached Mysore Road to an extent of 10 ft to 20 ft. A few shopkeepers alleged that the mosque authorities were hand-in-glove with the BBMP officials and had not informed them about the demolition. They claimed that only a few were told about the drive, who voluntarily vacated their shops on Friday night.
Following resistance from the shopkeepers, the BBMP gave them some time to vacate their premises. According to a senior BBMP official, the civic body had consulted the mosque authorities and had taken their consent before taking up the demolition. The official said that a part of the mosque compound would also be demolished, as it had encroached the road. “The mosque authorities have agreed to the demolition. The drive was taken up at 4.30 a.m., as we did not want to disrupt traffic.”
The official also said that the BBMP had sought police protection and around 250-300 police personnel were deployed at the spot. The shopkeepers were being convinced to vacate the premises. “We are still negotiating with them. We have assured them that we will construct shops for them once we take over the land required for road widening. The shops will be constructed on the remaining land owned by the mosque,” the official added.
Traffic jam
The demolition drive affected vehicular movement on the road. There was slow movement of traffic because of the demolition, on-going road widening work.
Bannerghatta road widening soon
The iconic stone structure at the main entrance of Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIM-B) will soon make way for a road widening project on Bannerghatta Road.
The widening of the Bannerghatta-NICE Road stretch has been approved by the BBMP recently. The approved project will include portions of the IIM-B compound, and other establishments near it will also be affected. Marking for the road widening has already started on the stretch.
A senior BBMP engineer said, “The notification for road widening has been issued and the alignment has been approved. From the centre of the road, the road will be widened to about 22.5 metres on either side. At present, Bannerghatta Road is just about 20-22 metres along various stretches and impedes traffic flow. A public notification has been issued to all the establishments on Bannerghatta Road. However, there has been no individual notification.”
The engineer added that the marking had started on the road.
“There are proposals for underpasses and flyover on the same stretch to accommodate the needs of Bangalore Metro rail project. They are still being analysed. It is not just the educational structure, but there are three others like Fortis Hospital which will be part of the road widening,” he added.
S J Anil, chief manager (Infrastructure), IIM-B, said, “The institute has not received any official communication regarding the inclusion of part of the IIM-B campus. But the institute is aware that there are markings done along the road.”
At last, it’s a NICE concrete road
Company officials insist it has nothing to do with allegation that the original agreement had specified a concrete road
Seventeen years after the project was launched, a nine-kilometre stretch of Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) has been converted from a bitumen road to white concrete. BMIC is the outcome of an agreement between the state government and Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE).
The concrete segment begins near PESIT College on Outer Ring Road and ends at the NICE office near Somapura village (Clover Junction).
This development is significant because of a case filed in 2012 in the Lokayukta court alleging, among other things, that the original agreement specified a concrete road. Instead, the petitioner pointed out, toll is being collected for a tar road.
The Lokayukta court ordered attachment of toll collected for the previous two years and an investigation into the alleged irregularities. The order was stayed by the high court earlier this year.
Last month, the complainant publicly offered Rs 1 crore to anyone who could prove that they had paid toll to NICE to travel on concrete road.
NICE officials insisted that the new concrete stretch has nothing to do with the case in the Lokayukta court. Manjunath Nayak, vice-president, public relations, said, “From day one, BMIC was to be a concrete road. But as per our contract, we have to build a concrete road after the first 62 kilometres. We had to first build bitument road on a virgin stretch and wait for it to settle down. We have high embankments and these have to settle down. If concrete is laid in the first instance itself, the road would be uneven. The concrete road is the final version of BMIC."
The stretch begins near PESIT College on Outer Ring Road and ends at the NICE office near Somapura village
Bengaluru Local
The state Cabinet’s in principle approval for a Commuter Rail System (CRS) has revived hope of Bengaluru going the Mumbai way and allowing people to travel long distances in quick time to work in the city, without living in it.
The departments concerned have started to work on a detailed project report (DPR) for all the six routes that RITES has suggested for CRS in its feasibility report. Work on another CRS line between Kunigal and Bengaluru is already underway.
In all, the RITES report on CRS for Bengaluru has identified seven corridors — Yeshwantapur-Tumkur, Bengaluru-Mandya and beyond, Yelahanka-Doddaballapur, Yelahanka-Chikballapur, Byappanhalli-Hosur, Byappanhalli-Bangarapet, and Kunigal (Soldevanahalli)-Bengaluru — covering 440 kms for urban and suburban commuters. However only three routes to Tumkur, Mandya and Bangarpet from Bengaluru will become reality in the first phase.
Around 150,000 daily trips are made on these corridors already and their number could increase to about 450,000 by 2031, according to RITES. The volume of commuters is the highest (34,500) in the Bengaluru-Bangarapet sector.
While the Bengaluru-Mandya sector sees 25,500 commuters, the Tumkur sector handles 24,000 and the Chickballapur and Hebbal sectors, 1,500 each. On the cards is a special purpose vehicle for the project, which will need good support from the state in terms of allocation of land and funds for coaches. The railways, for its part, will have to schedule operations to and from Bengaluru City Railway station which does not have many free slots.
Fast, cheap, perfect decongestion tool for city
The Commuter Rail System (CRS) that will provide an easy commuting option between Bengaluru and neighbouring towns and villages, has the potential to decongest the city like no other project can.
Running through the suburbs in all directions, the CRS corridors will give people the option of working in Bengaluru and living elsewhere, letting the city that has been seeing a huge influx of people, breathe easier in the long run.
“CRS which will provide a fast and cheap way of commuting, will ease the burden on Bengaluru as people will then be able to stay far away form the city and still come to it for work. If there is a fast train from Mandya to Bengaluru every 15 minutes, some may even want to open offices in Mandya and people from Bengaluru could head to them for work. The CRS will decongest the city,” says Mr Pranav Jha, founder of Praja Raag, a not- for- profit organisation that advocates solutions for urban civic problems, including transportation.
While Bengalureans agree that the city desperately needs a Mass Transit System to connect its suburbs and nearby tier 2 towns to decongest it, for once there also seems to be consensus that CRS is the best choice of all available modes of transport to make this happen.
“The CRS is the best option for these corridors as it will make use of the existing tracks to destinations like Mysore, Tumkur, Yelahanka, Whitefield and Hosur and does not require major investment. Most of these tracks are parallel to the existing roads,” notes Prof MN Sreehari, advisor to the state government on traffic, transportation and infrastructure.
Mr Pranav Jha too agrees that CRS is the best option on these corridors.” We cannot have road based connectivity between Bengaluru and its satellites as it will prove very expensive and so unsustainable. Even if BMTC buses are run on 30 to 40 km long routes, it will work out expensive due to the high fuel cost. The only practical solution is CRS as it requires no huge investment and can use the existing tracks,” he says.
Considering its advantages, ABIDe member R.K. Misra hopes the next government will implement the project quickly and efficiently. “The 2002 RITES report has been gathering dust for long enough. While the Bombay Local is a huge success, commuting in Bengaluru is not unidirectional like in Mumbai. Many CRS lines can be developed on the existing lines here,” he points out.
CRS is what the city needs
R.C. Acharya
The Garden City is no longer a pensioners’ paradise and has long become the job hunters’ favourite haunt. Easy commute to the suburbs with a fast, safe and assured form of transport will help to not only decongest the city, but also stop any further large scale influx of people into it by providing alternate spaces for growth.
Fortunately, all the seven proposed CRS corridors lead to Bengaluru. This should not cause problems of congestion as EMU (Electric Multiple Units) or DEMU (Diesel Electric Multiple Units) are fitted with driving cabs at both ends making the trains instantly reversible with a platform occupancy of less than 5 minutes!
Sharing tracks with the long distance main line passenger trains can be avoided by building separate tracks as has been done in Mumbai, where now no less than six tracks exist between Virar and Dadar. Four tracks are dedicated to suburban services, two each for fast and slow locals, while the remaining two take care of long distance trains.
A comparison of various parameters of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) bi-directional, Metro (double line) and Rail (double line) yields some interesting facts. BRT with a maximum peak passenger throughput (passenger/hour) of 20,000 and running at an average speed 25 to 40 kmph, costs Rs 14 crores per km to build. Metro at 40,000 passenger/hr throughout at speeds of 25 to 45 kmph, costs Rs 250 crore per km. CRS with 60,000 passengers/hr throughout at average speeds of 40 to 70 kmph emerges a clear winner as it requires just Rs 15 crore per km to build.
With a train length of 15 coaches and a wider body (3.66 m) as against a six coach Metro train with only a 2.88m wide body, the CRS has an inbuilt advantage of being 3.15 times the size of a Metro train.
A draft report prepared in June 2010 for the BMRDA by M/S Wilbur Smith Associates on a comprehensive traffic and transportation study for the Bengaluru metropolitan region provides for a planned investment of Rs 73,300 crore in phases upto 2031. But surprisingly, it does not include any investment on CRS and instead suggests elevated Metro tracks along these seven corridors at a hefty price of Rs 250 crore per km. This is a highly expensive proposition for reaching these tier II towns.
Can Bengaluru become another Mumbai with mass transit being provided by wide body EMU coaches? While Mumbai carries almost seven million passengers a day on the combined network of Western and Central Railways, the existing seven corridors leading into Bengaluru could see a jump from the present 150,000 passengers a day to 450,000 in the next five years involving an investment of less than Rs 6,600 crores.
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