Things PM is inaugurating are not working: Activist

Rachana Ramesh | NT

Bengaluru: The particular Metro stretch Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated on Saturday holds much significance as it has the potential to decongest many spots, because it will be connecting the eastern edge of the city with the south.

This route is an extension of the purple line from Baiyappanahalli to Whitefield, built under Phase II of the project. The total length of the line is 15 km. However, the project remains incomplete as there is a gap of about 2.5 km between Baiyappanahalli and KR Puram.

This missing portion is promised to be completed by mid-2023, until which time the newly-inaugurated line cannot be used to its optimum. If the missing link was present at either end of the line, it would not cause much inconvenience to commuters but it is present in between. Feeder buses have been promised to ferry commuters, acting as connectors of the missing link.

However, speculations are that even if they run at maximum efficiency, they will not be able to take the load. On the other hand, if one chooses to travel by an autorickshaw or cabs, there will be a significant rise in travel time as well as the cost of their travel.

“The things they are inaugurating are not working. The Shivananda Circle flyover, the airport in Shivamogga, the Mysuru expressway, the Bangalore City University ... These are just the recent examples. And the 'Metro gap' could easily join that list on Monday morning blues,” said Ashwin Mahesh, a prominent activist in the city. He had previously pointed out that in one of the stations – Mahadevapura (Singayyanapalya) – trains will be using the same platform for going in both directions as only one platform will be operational initially.

“Apparently all this is only for three months, by which time the gap will be filled and the second platform will also be ready. For just 90 days, we're taking on these ad hoc choices? Why not just finish the job properly and open a well-run service instead?” he said, while noting that the BMTC will almost certainly pull its bus services from elsewhere, disrupting the level of service on other routes.

The PM also recently inaugurated the Rs 8,500 Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway, which has also not been entirely completed.

The expressway is yet to have mandated service roads, forcing commuters to pay high toll fares even for a short distance. Recently, a man died while another was injured after a KSRTC bus collided with their twowheeler while violating a one-way rule to avoid paying toll on the expressway