BMRCL, villagers strike deal, Metro work resumes 

BENGALURU: After a gap of five months, work recently resumed at Chikkabidarakallu (previously Jindal Nagar) Metro Station, an extension of the Green Line of Phase-I. This follows an assurance given by Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) to over 40,000 residents of Srikantapura Anchepalya village, that it would build three roads to ensure easy connectivity from the station to their houses.

The Rs 298-crore elevated Reach-3C line of Phase-II runs a distance of 3.03 km, between Hesaraghatta Cross and Madavar (formerly Bangalore International Exhibition Centre) and has three stations -- Manjunatha Nagar, Chikkabidarakallu (Jindal Nagar) and Madavar.

Over 1,500 people from the village are employed in garment factories in Peenya Industry and Goraguntepalya, and are desperate to use the Green Line Extension, which will take them to their workplaces. A senior BMRCL official told TNIE, “The people were not happy with the location of the Metro station as it was not easily accessible, and wanted the station to be moved closer to BIEC.

Work was stalled for nearly five months because of this, as they didn’t allow us to carry out construction work.” A consensus was arrived at recently, in the presence of local MLA S R Vishwanath, that BMRCL would build good roads from the station to their villages. “Only after our assurances did the villagers allow us to go ahead with Chikkabidarakallu station work, which began a few weeks ago after a long gap.

We will be building one road each to the north and south of the station, besides one approach road. Last week, BDA handed over a parcel of land that we required to build the road passing on the south side, through the Jindal company premises and a private apartment complex. On the north, we will acquire a road from private parties and extend the present Kirloskar Road,” the official elaborated. Each of these two roads will be 12 metres wide and 700 metres long.