BENGALURU: Owners of BDA sites in HBR Layout were upset about having to part with portions of their property for a metro station on the K.R. Puram-Kempegowda International Airport Line. The property owners demanded that the BMRCL should scrap plan to have a station at the HBR Layout. However, BMRCL has clarified that there will be no changes in metro Phase 2B line.
In addition, a bus bay is also being planned to facilitate HBR metro commuters and site owners fear this will lead to more traffic congestion.
Manjunath H., a resident of HBR, told Deccan Chronicle, “The proposed metro station would choke the narrow 18 feet service road, which presently accommodates traffic overflow from Outer Ring Road, which at this area is narrow and only 50 feet wide.”
He pointed out that now BMRCL is planning to set up a bus bay which will inconvenience at least four site owners as the parked buses will block entry to their sites.
BMRCL is currently in the process of acquiring properties and has identified more than 270 properties for the purpose. The owners claim that the Outer Ring Road at HBR is narrow and during peak hours motorists enter the service roads.
“Properties on service road are commercial properties each of about four floors with multiple occupants besides visiting public and BBMP has made it mandatory for every building to have a basement for parking which require free ingress and egress besides depriving by long buses parked. Visitors parking on roadsides will be also deprived by the bus bay. So this metro station and bus bay will definitely lead to further agony to the commuters and local residents,” said Rakesh, another resident.
But BMRCL official claims that while identifying the location for a metro station, they keep in mind public interest. A BMRCL official told Deccan Chronicle, “Where we build stations, we will widen the road and make space for service road. Now the people are saying that stations and bus bay will lead to the traffic jams. But we are sure that metro is a mass transit system and very much needed for commuting on the ORR line and it will eventually reduce vehicle flow.”
