As metro work begins at Whitefield, residents ask for greater connectivity through suburban rail

Bengaluru: Although the metro is likely to decongest the streets of

Whitefield

once it starts operations on the Byappanahalli-Whitefield stretch, residents of the area are urging authorities to provide them with alternative modes of transport in the interim period.

Work on the line has already commenced, and around 80 buildings have been demolished along the 15.5km-stretch that will be dotted by 13 metro stations. Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRC) is widening the road along this line, before taking up construction of pillars on the median. However, Whitefield residents and

commuters

are not willing to buy BMRC’s argument that Namma Metro work won’t hamper vehicular movement, in an area infamous for traffic gridlocks.

Citizen groups such as

Whitefield Rising

, and resident welfare associations of KR Puram and other surrounding areas are pressing civic bodies to provide connectivity between Byappanaalli and Whitefield through Multiple Electrical Mechanical Unit (MEMU) trains to decongest the roads.

Narasimha Murthy, a resident of Vijayanagar, travels to Hoodi for work every day. Having tried all available means of transport, Murthy has come to the conclusion that suburban train is the most convenient. “It’s great to travel by metro from Byapanahalli to Mysuru Road. But, it’s a challenge to get to Byappanahalli station. Suburban train is cheaper and faster. But only two trains are operating right now, and neither suits my schedule. Also, the trains occasionally stop between stations, sometimes for nearly an hour. We need trains running every 15 minutes,” he added.

Pravir B, a member of Whitefield Rising, told TOI that deadlines meant little to the city’s civic agencies. “Besides people coming to Whitefield from all parts of the city, residents also commute to the central parts of Bengaluru for work or on business on a daily basis. A one-way journey from Whitefield to the Central Business District takes 90 minutes on any of the three routes – via KR Puram, Doddanekundi or Marathahalli. When metro work starts on the KR Puram-ITPL corridor, vehicles coming to Whitefield from the centre of the city will take the route either via Doddanekundi or Marathahalli. These two routes have major bottlenecks, and travel time is only likely to increase owing to diversion of traffic,” he added.

Pravir said that schoolchildren would be affected the most by the increase in traffic. “We have received no updates from the directorate of urban land transport on implementing the

suburban rail

project. Our only request is that more trains be operated along the route,” he said.

RN Hegde, a member of the Whitefield Area Commerce and Industries Association, said that many companies were planning to shift shop to Malur. “We’re trying to understand how the GST rollout will affect our business. However, metro work and the monsoon are likely to have an adverse impact on companies housed in Whitefield. Many have already wound up operations here, and relocated to Malur, since some of their properties were acquired, either partially or completely by BMRC. Government authorities do not touch residential apartments, but penalise industries,” Hegde said.

BMRC hopes to complete work on line in 2-3 years

BMRC said that it will undertake work on the Byappanahalli-Whitefield line in two phases, and hopes to complete work in two to three years. The corporation has already paid Rs 650 crore to acquire property from around 100 entities between Mahadevapura and ITPL. It will have to shell out at least Rs 200 crore more to acquire land along the 4km-stretch between Byappanahalli and Mahadevapura.

It has also tendered the shifting of utilities at a total cost of Rs 76.9 crore.

Don’t know why state govt has not expedited suburban rail project: PC Mohan

Bengaluru Central MP PC Mohan, in whose constituency Whitefield falls, wrote to chief minister Siddaramaiah expressing anguish over the state government’s failure to form a special purpose vehicle for the implementation of the suburban rail project.

Karnataka has raised objections to the funding pattern for the suburban rail project finalised the by the Railways, which requires the state government and railways to contribute 20% of the cost each, while the remaining amount would have to be raised through loans.

“The government is fully aware of what will unfold once metro work starts in Whitefield. I don’t know why the government is not expedited the suburban rail project. I have met with officials of South Western Railways, and with the Centre, but they tell me that there has been no demand or proposal from the Karnataka government for more trains,” Mohan said.

Meanwhile, the state government has sanctioned Rs 360 crore to procure MEMU coaches, but there has been no progress beyond this decision.


Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, and Mini Crossword.