Firoz.T.Totanawala The Bangalore Metro Reporter THE BITTER TRUTH METRO LAUNCH- THE HYPE V/S REALITY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Firoz.T.Totanawala 

The Bangalore Metro Reporter 

THE BITTER TRUTH 

METRO LAUNCH- THE HYPE V/S REALITY 

The 6.5 Km stretch of Metro from MG Road to Byappanahalli is tom tomed as the ultimate solution to the unimaginable traffic woes in Bangalore. The Metro Corporation has spent crores on the inauguration function. The pomp - splendour - publicity hype for the Metro service should be seen to believe. The 6.5 km stretch is not even 15% of the Metro project. There was no need for such extravaganza. The Metro works in other reaches is going on a snail’s pace and one wonders whether the project will be completed in five years time. 

The Namma Metro service has begun between MG Road and Byappanahalli - a stretch of 6.5 kms. The BMRCL is boasting this achievement of completing 10% of the Metro work and giving an impression to the Bangaloreans that the Metro is a great Diwali gift! It has further spent crores towards the inaugural function of the dedication of the Metro to the public. 

 Keeping aside the emotions of having the prestigious Metro rail in our Garden City, can this really be called an achievement, by any standard? The Metro should have been completed by 2010 itself, whereas, by the end of October 2011, only 10% of the work is completed. It would be a miracle if the entire project is completed by 2015. 

Besides, the havoc caused by the Metro works is incredible and it compounded the already choking traffic woes. Further, the highly damaged roads due to the Pillar erection and overhead slab works are also not asphalted which would greatly benefit the people. As the Metro line passes through high density traffic roads, one can imagine the plight of the people. 

The hardships are there for the last three years and will continue for another few years. As on now, there is no guarantee of the Metro phase-1 completion in the near future as the inaugurated Metro stretch has taken more than four years. The BMRCL admits that one day delay causes Rs. 85 lakhs due to which the project cost has jumped from the original estimate of Rs. 5800 crores to more than 12000 crores! One should not wonder if it crosses 15000 crores by the time, the Phase-1 becomes operational. 

The underground Metro tunnel work has become the biggest joke. When the BMRCL awarded the contract to foreign companies for digging the underground tunnel from MG Road to Swastic Circle and Swastik Circle to Leprosy Hospital in Magadi Road, it publicised the high technology machines and its capacity. It said that these world famous machines can dig 100-150 meter tunnel a day and that tunneling work will complete in about a year and half. But the hard reality is that these machines are digging 8 to 10 meters per day! One can now have an idea about the time needed to tunnel almost 9 kms in two reaches. 

The 6.5 Kms inaugurated Metro services which has costed Rs. 1600 crores does no good to the Bangalore traffic even in that stretch and it also cannot cater to the commuters between Byappanahalli and MG Road. People from adjoining areas must use another mode of transport like autos or buses to reach the stations. They cannot bring their vehicles as there are no parking facilities in any of the six stations along this stretch. 

Besides, despite the boasting of the Metro services being hi-tech and stations tech savvy, ordinary people face difficulty in swapping the cards, using elevators etc. In addition, there are restrictions like the restriction of number of people in the station at any time. The BMRCL says that it will allow only 400 people at a time and only after they have left in the train, another batch of 400 will be allowed inside! Then there is the time restriction of staying for maximum of 20 minutes in the station! There is fine and penalty for everything. There is also a restriction in carrying the 10kg luggage for commuting in the Metro. The BMRCL has banned the entry of people with illnesses like serious cold, fever, severe cough etc. Then what about people with other fatal diseases, which cannot be detected on the face value? The list of restrictions is a long one and suffices to say that they are similar to the Air passengers. Thank God, the BMRCL has not made it compulsory for the passengers to get immunized before entering the station! 

Whatsoever, one does not understand the unimaginable hype created for inauguration of 6.5 kms stretch of Metro services. The newspapers and the electronic media are vying to give larger than life coverage to the event, which is only a small beginning. When Namma Metro’s First phase is completed and dedicated to the public, it will be useful as people can reach South from North or South from West etc. in record time, saving money and avoiding traffic problems. That would be a real boon. 

The current rush in Metro is because all citizens are queuing up to enjoy a new experience. Once the initial euphoria is over that is after two or three months, one can get the ground reality of the utility of the inaugurated Metro stretch. At the end of the day, the Metro services can at best become one of the things to see in Bangalore like Cubbon Park, Lalbagh, Vidhana Soudha etc. 

And that is all.