Metro Anjanapura depot at new place

BENGALURU: The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) on Friday announced a new location away from the Elephant Corridor for its Anjanapura depot. Metro will meet its deadline of commissioning the Reach 4B stretch between Anjanapura Cross Road and Anjanapura Township (Nice Junction) by December 2018, it was reiterated.

Briefing newspersons at BMRCL’s pre-casting yard at Tataguni after Bengaluru Development Minister K J George inspected this 6.29-km stretch (Reach 4B) on Friday, BMRCL MD Pradeep Singh Kharola said that the depot will now come up on a private land that lies parallel to Nice Road. The originally proposed location forms part of the Elephant Corridor. “The Forest Department refused to permit a depot here,” an official said.

Kharola said, “The new depot will come up on 20 acres and since it is a private land, acquiring it will not be a problem. The rail tracks will come up on the edge of the forest land and we are in talks with the Forest Department to get permission for it.”

Kanakapura Road is part of the Anekal-Bannerghatta elephant corridor. The location of the depot was being reconsidered seriously ever since wild elephants trampled to death two Central Reserve Police Force Men near their training camp in Kaggalipura forest range in Bannerghatta National Park-Taralu Estate on May 7 this year.

December 2018 deadline for North-South Extension Line

Minister for Bengaluru Development K J George said, “Work on Phase-II was proceeding fast. Tracks will be completed on this stretch (Reach 4B) by March 2018 and the line will be commissioned by December 2018.”The five stations in this North-South Extension Line are Anjanapura Cross Road, Krishnaleela Park (ISKCON), Vajarahalli, Talaghattapura and Anjanapura Township. Referring to the Innovative Financing Funding Scheme proposed for the K R Puram-Silk Board route, George said that three big corporate concerns The Embassy Group, Bagmane Tech Park and RMZ have come forward to fund this line. “Embassy has already entered into an MoU with BMRCL in this connection while talks with the other two firms are in the final stages,” he said. Talks were on with Prestige and Intel also, he added.

BBMP to help with parking

Out of the 61 Metro stations (12 underground and 49 elevated) that constitute the 72.1 km Phase-II, 15 stations have parking facilities, the Minister said. “BBMP will help in identifying parking facilities in locations near the Metro stations,” he said. BMRCL MD said that a multi-level car parking lot will come up at Mylasandra Metro station.  All the stations of Phase-II will have bus bays, he added.

Works on Anjanapura Road Cross station may finish first

Media persons were taken to the Anjanapura Road Cross Station and the Pre-Casting yard at Tataguni, where pillars and other structures were being cast. Anjanapura Road Cross station is racing ahead to be the first of the 61 stations of Phase-II to be completed. Zakir Hussain, Deputy Chief Engineer (Reach 4B), Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limted (BMRCL) told Express, “All the structural work at this station will be ready in a few months. We are working day and night to make it happen.” Specifying technical details, he said, “Almost 70 percent of viaduct (the portion where trains run) work is completed. This is the crucial portion as far as the station is concerned.” Rail tracks can be laid on it when it is completed. Ten piers (pillars) are ready and 20 pier arms too are in place, he added. H Sudhakar, Project Manager of NCC Ltd, the contractor entrusted with civil works for this Reach, said, “Nearly 600 employees of NCC and 60 Metro employees are working on this stretch. Work is proceeding quickly in all five stations but Anjanapura Road Cross is way ahead of all.” This station will not have parking facility. There is a bus stop 200 metres away. “It will have 4 escalators, 4 lifts and 6 staircases,” Sudhakar added.