It promised to ease Bengaluru’s traffic troubles, but the city’s Metro project has long passed the deadlines set. The years of BJP rule have seen the Metro begin its run only on Reach 1 covering a mere 6.7 kms, while Reach 3 between Swastik and Hessarghatta, which should have been operational by December 2012, is still in limbo. As the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) and the railways continue to haggle over land, the project seems to have hit an unsurmountable obstacle with no one in authority caring to step in and give it the push it needs.
Ask Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), South Western Railway(SWR), S. Mani and he says the STC area cannot be parted with for the Metro Rail as it has been earmarked for training of key rail safety staff. “We cannot compromise on this. There are many issues to be resolved with the BMRCL before we can hand over such a vital piece of land,” he says, angry that the BMRCL had kept the SWR in the dark when executing work at Swastik. “Any agency, including the BMRCL, needs to take prior permission from the railways to carry out work within 30 meters of the railway network. Any trespassing will not be encouraged. The court has now granted status quo which means no work on the Metro can be carried out here for the present,” the officer adds with satisfaction.
While the BMRCL has its own take on the issue, those who are in a position to mediate between the two warring agencies have shown little concern for the city’s welfare. For instance, minister of state for railways, K. H. Muniyappa, who could have coordinated between the BMRCL and the railways, has done precious little to speed up the project.
The minister had promised to make sure the project did not meet with any more hiccups due to differences between agencies while flagging off Reach 1 in October last year, but has failed to keep his word. Despite being fully in the know about the tussle between the railways and the BMRCL, he has so far not convened even one meeting to amicably resolve the row. The result? The project remains entangled in legalities and is barely hobbling along, while the city remains dug up and dirty all along the Metro route.
Is govt asleep at the wheel?
The Metro Rail is also clearly suffering as a result of government apathy. Since launching Reach 1 between MG Road and Byappanahalli, the administration seems to have lost all interest in furthering the project. Engaged in a battle for survival, the government appears to have been left with no time to check the progress of vital infrastructure projects for the city.
Its fading interest is clear from its lack of initiative to persuade Dalit organisations to agree to the shifting of the statue of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar for the underground work on the Metro. While the BMRCL is stalling the tunnelling for fear of damaging the statue and wants it relocated to a safe place for the duration of its work on this stretch, Dalit leader, Mavalli Shankar says the technical report on the project makes no mention of the need to move the statue. “Why cannot the BMRCL change the alignment of the Metro to bypass the statue entirely?” he asks. The answer remains elusive as the government has failed to address such concerns.
Unfortunately, it is showing scant interest in other disputes dogging the project as well. “The failure of the state government in resolving the land dispute between BSNL and the BMRCL so close to the Vidhana Soudha, in Minsk Square, shows how disinterested it is in the project,” says RTI activist, S. Amaresh. Others point out that the administration took almost two years to resolve the legal issues at the soap factory, slowing down work on the Metro considerably in this area. Work near the factory and at Swastik is crucial to the completion of Reach 3.
The dispute with the railways over Metro work at STC is also hanging fire as the government looks on mutely, doing nothing to arrive at a compromise that could satisfy both parties. Paying for its apathy are commuters, who have no choice but to put up with traffic snarls on roads in the city as work on the Metro hobbles along.