Metro row: Property owners offer solution

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Bengaluru: Hoping to stop both private property owners and the Jayadeva hospital from being inconvenienced by the Metro Rail station planned in the area, the  Jayadeva Interchange Metro Victims Forum has come up with its own plan to get around the problem.
It’s plan, which is still on the drawing board, involves demolition of two ramps of the Jayadeva flyover, from the Bannerghatta Road to BTM and from Jayanagar to BTM, to accommodate the Metro Rail station. Members of the forum met transport and Bengaluru district-in-charge minister Ramalinga Reddy on Wednesday to explain the proposal to him.
“We are still finalising the  plan. But  it  will be  possible to  construct the station at the junction of the Bannerghatta Road and the Outer Ring Road if the two ramps of the flyover, one leading from Bannerghatta  Road to BTM and the other from Jayanagar to BTM are demolished. They are completely useless and in fact, cause traffic jams.
If they are removed, the station can be easily built at the intersection of the two roads. This location will not impact the Jayadeva Hospital or the commercial and residential properties nearby,” said K. Ramesh, coordinator of the forum.
Members of the forum also say the new plan will require much less acquisition of  land and  lower the  expenditure involved. “It will save many properties as our proposal involves acquisition of only 3,000 sqft of land from Jayadeva Hospital while the BMRCL’s plan talks about acquiring 40,000 sqft of its property. And as against acquiring 98 private properties in BMRCL’s plan, our proposal requires acquisition of only two,” said one member.
Wednesday’s meeting between the minister and the private property owners was held three days prior to his scheduled meeting with the BMRCL on Saturday which will discuss Phase II of the Metro Rail, including the realignment of the track near Jayadeva and relocation of  the Jayadeva interchange station, ahead of the Public Investment Board’s meeting on June 25 in New Delhi. The BMRCL is expecting the PIB to clear Phase II of the Metro Rail when it meets.