12 days, and pothole is back on MG Road

Just 12 days after Bangalore Mirror front-paged a story (‘Seven-year ditch’) on an ugly pothole marring the appearance of the city’s showpiece MG Road, the pothole, which was smoothened over post-haste after our report, has resurfaced.

The BBMP is washing its hands of any obligation to repair the pothole a second time. It says it is the duty of the Metro to do the job. 

BBMP east zone joint commissioner K S Venkateshappa said, “After it was reported in Bangalore Mirror, our officials immediately filled up the pothole. But it is not our responsibility to take care of potholes along the Metro stretch. We repaired it because people will point fingers at BBMP, but why doesn’t the Metro take a call on it? The culprit is the Metro viaduct above the pothole. Rain water falls copiously at that point and has undone the repairs to the pothole. We repaired it once; now it is the Metro’s job.”

BMRCL’s chief PRO Yashavanth Chavan admitted that it was the Metro’s responsibility. He said, “We are looking into why water is falling from the viaduct on MG Road and are seeking a technical solution to the problem. BMRCL is a public service provider and we will take care of the pothole.”

Bangalore Traders Association (M G Road) president Bhoopalam Srinath has squarely blamed BMRCL for the existence of the pothole on MG Road. “The pothole developed after water from the viaduct parapet hit the road below with a huge impact during the rains,” he said. 

BBMP’s superintendent engineer (road infrastructure) K T Nagaraj said, “It is the responsibility of Metro officials to take up pothole-filling work.” 

Initially, BBMP had planned to take up white-topping (concretising) work on the seven-km stretch from Anil Kumble Circle to Byappanahalli at a cost of Rs 111 crore. But its cash-strapped condition forced the civic body to hand over the project to BMRCL. "We will pay our 50 per cent share; now it is their responsibility to take up the white-topping work," Nagaraj said. 

BIAL Expressway Update

BIAL Update

Minister tells BMRCL not to delay Metro Phase II work

Namma Metro’s Phase-1 might have seen several delays in its implementation, but the State government is keen that the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) take precautions to avoid any delays while implementing its Phase-2, an official clearance for which is still awaited.

Transport and Bangalore City in-charge Minister Ramalinga Reddy communicated the same to the BMRCL officials in a review meeting on Saturday.

After taking stock of the progress of the project and an update on the various proposals under the Phase II, ahead of the crucial Public Investment Board (PIB) meeting on June 25, Reddy said that he would review the project once every three months.

The BMRCL officials said the Phase-1 was delayed mainly due to late awarding of contracts for the underground section. “This almost extended the project by 24 months,” a source said.

The government is likely to stick to the decision of the high- powered committee to realign the RV Road-Bommasandra line under Namma Metro Phase-2 near Jayadeva Hospital, said sources. While stating that the government is keen on not disturbing the Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, Reddy said that it is, at the same time, concerned about the individuals whose properties are to be razed for the changed alignment.

Over 94 properties, including apartments of more than 150 senior citizens, will be razed due to the change in alignment. They had urged the government to take the line underground. BMRCL Managing Director N Sivasailam made a presentation to the minister on Phase-2. While rumours were rife about the presentation being about the realignment issue, discussing various technicalities, Sivasailam has maintained that it was in connection with the PIB meeting.

Is Metro realignment the only alternative?

Even as the Metro Phase-II is hitting the headlines for the realignment issue raised by the Jayadeva Hospital, citizens have started questioning the process. Here’s Citizen Action Forum’s N Mukunda’s take on this.

Metro Phase-I has not completed, but the plans for Phase-II have already begun. File Pic.

The new alignment near Jayadeva Hospital has caused panic among residents that many residential properties and commercial buildings on Bannerghatta Road would be demolished.

Here are some thoughts on this.

> Why public consultation with residents, experts,users ,metro officials and elected representatives is not being held on pros and cons, alternative routes etc, like the public consultation held by Additional Chief Secretary regarding Signal-free corridor of Koramangala? The project was scrapped unanimously by all stakeholders on direction of the High Court, based on the PIL filed by Citizen Action Forum and other Resident’s Welfare Associations.

> While the Metro is passing via Vani Vilas hospital and Bangalore Hospital, R V Road where similar surgeries are conducted, how the vibration will affect the patients in only Jayadeva?

> Instead of demolishing many other buildings by realigning the path, why Jayadeva can’t be shifted to Jayanagar General Hospital premises by constructing additional floors or build it on Jayanagar 4th T block bus depot?

> Alternatively multilocational Jayadeva Hospitals can be constructed across Bangalore.

> It is more easy to demolish a residential or private building rather than a government-owned building

> When Phase-I Metro is not completed in R V Road, why should the government think of Phase-II?

> Why underground metro or monorail or running of more BMTC buses cannot be considered instead of demolishing properties?

A> committee of residents, Metro, Jayadeva, elected representatives and experts should be constituted to look for practical alternative.

Impasse over construction of metro station continues

BBMP yet to sanction plan for Sampige Road station-tower

The impasse over the construction of Sampige Road Metro Station and commercial tower under the first-ever pubic-private partnership of Namma Metro continues, with the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) refusing to sanction the building plan for the station-tower.

The palike is sticking to its guns that the private partner, Mantri Developers, has encroached upon government land and handed it over for construction of a road by obtaining transferable development rights (TDR).

A high power committee of the government on March 7 directed the BBMP to give approval.

Also, the High Court of Karnataka passed a similar order on April 15.

However, the then BBMP Commissioner Siddaiah wrote to the government in May urging it to withdraw the direction since a joint committee of the palike had established the encroachment even as the BBMP filed an appeal against the single judge order.

The BBMP constituted the committee of Deputy Commissioners of health, estate and land acquisition to examine the allegations of people’s representatives that Hamara Shelters, a concern owned by Mantri, had encroached upon two acres, eleven-and-a-half guntas of government land.

On the other hand, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) and Mantri Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. are making efforts to get the plan sanctioned for the joint development of the property. While the Principal Secretary, Urban Development Department had directed BBMP to sanction the plan in eight days on November 27, 2012, a high power committee on March 7, 2013 issued similar directions after the BBMP failed to grant the approval.

Work suffers

BMRCL Managing Director N. Sivasailam replied to an email communiqué from The Hindu stating that the station buildings had been partially completed.

The other components such as parking space, station access, etc., remained incomplete as they are integrated with the facility of the joint development partner [commercial tower], which has to be approved by the BBMP.

He said, “The matter is sub-judice and there is an order of the High Court to grant approval to the plan subject to conditions which we have complied with. The BBMP has moved court (after taking one week time from court to grant approval) but there is no stay order. At this stage, we expect the BBMP to comply with the order of the court which is based on the decision of the State government directing the BBMP to accord approval to the plan.”

Mr. Sivasailam said, “We wait patiently. Of course, in this impasse, the work is suffering, as the joint development partner is unable to move ahead both in physical and financial terms as further release of funds for further development is conditional to formal plan approval by the regulator.”

Awaiting response

BBMP Commissioner M. Lakshminarayana said that Mr. Siddaiah had written to the government to withdraw the directions (to grant approval for the joint development). “We are awaiting government response to that letter.”

Asked whether the palike would grant approval if the government directs so, Mr. Lakshminarayana said that the BBMP would have to examine such directions

BIAL Expansion Update