Wednesday, November 22, 2017

On the location of the Cantonment Metro Station

I got this from a few people:

https://www.change.org/p/1-shri-s-siddaramaiah-the-hon-ble-chief-minister-the-metro-will-kill-us-metro-will-run-through-my-house-thousands-will-be-homeless
My reply
Re the Cantonment station metro and how its going to destroy a few houses. As far as I know, from a friend who lost his factory to the phase 1 - they give you 2.5x of BBMP rate so its market rate after taxes plus enough to cover expenses of moving. So no financial loss.
Unfortunately where ever you put it, its thru Shivaji nagar and other parts of a full city, so there are going to be displacements. I would think it would be less if via Queens Road ... a wife road?
Also see
https://www.change.org/p/cpronammametro-bmrcl-namma-metro-with-namma-consultations/

40,000 people have signed this petition regarding the Cantonment Metro station location. Not sure who is more correct. The original plan till May of this year was to have at Cantonment station parking. Few 100 people, including me, protested when it was announced by BMRCL to move it to the BBMP playground. I do not like it cause if you go on any day after 3pm will see 100s of kids and adults playing there. They are poor people, who cant afford expensive gyms or paid play areas and there is no other park or playground in that area.
40,000 people have signed that petition. Besides the playground some people have doubts that the walk way will ever be built or maintained.

Might have read how Yesvantpur metro and railway station integration is not great even now. Even though close by its not easy to go in crowded time from one to another. Small lift, many people with suitcases... See https://goo.gl/aVi1jT and https://goo.gl/y3EDp4 for some of the difficulties when lifts are full in Yesvantpur metro to the station.

So I hope you read both and then decide where you stand. Personally I'm not sure of the cost benefit of having it near the station. It will help commuters, especially those who use the new suburban trains. Railways is even planning a new platform in Cantonment in some empty space so that we can have more trains stopping here.
That will mean more people will use metro if its close by. Think about if the walkway does not come up and instead so many more people use own vehicles, autos and taxis.

At least I would use less for short distances if the time to go directly is much less.

In the end do some math and decide vs 800 crores saved and better integration.

Vs a playground being taken over and kids having no outlet for energy...to better integration for suburban, and other train users.

If you can, I urge you to go to Abdul Bari's High School Ground https://goo.gl/JSo3By see how narrows the roads are, not sure how homes wont be destroyed if it has to come here?

So metro station being near Jayamahal, Vasant nagar, spacious road in front of Cantonment station (and as far as I was told all the land belongs to the Indian railways and they are giving it to us free for the namma metro station as they know how important it is for public that has been clarified)

So I do not know if money savings or better integration will win. But I pray :
If we have to build it in the playground I at least hope we only take up 45% of land and leave rest for kids to play. And if we are really going to save so much money how about making a
multi-storey building with three floors 30 foot high so its a play area for cricket, football, etc a 365 day a year usable place with additional 4 floors for shops to recover the costs and give amenities in the area?

From another citizen who is in touch with experts: my heart bleeds for the residents , but this is a little reactive and may not be a fully researched piece- Many  of us concerned citizens have taken time and trouble via experts to locate alternative solutions for the Metro vent n shaft so that this home displacement doesn’t happen. So it’s already work in progress  & surveys that have been done there. The Blr Metro has ignored all these alternatives presented, choosing to continue an opaque POV and a panic button., . Sadly, what BMCL has cleverly done is use us  poor residents to create a fear factor of getting us and the large public  to believe that they have only one option- and  the ONLY choice  is between putting the Cantonment Metro at Bamboo Bazaar rather than at Cantonment - a slipshod, hasty recent option , which has already been dismissed by experts and public consultation  !
So the many alternatives ( from what I recall ) include  a slight change in curvature in one or two spots , shifting the shaft site to an empty plot diagonally opposite , request a small portion of Para Regiment Land nearly , slightly reduce the length to under 1500 mts . BTW, both Bby and Delhi Metros have 1700 and 2000 meters without a ventilator shaft, so why is this 1610 meter one causing an issue ?
And Rock blasting ? This was done at DPR Time when they knew what was there and the same blasting happened in Majestic area , perhaps with some additional work but was managed alright  .