BENGALURU: The new line between Silk Board Junction and K R Puram proposed by Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) will require 40 acres of land for a depot to be constructed to stable its trains. However, the parcel of land identified for the purpose has been a bone of contention between the Forest and Revenue Departments for quite some time.
This parcel of land identified is located at Kadugodi Plantations in Whitefield area. With the entire 17-km Outer Ring Road line being an elevated one, there are no land issues involved for this `4, 202-crore project. “The viaduct (long bridge with spans) of the line passes above the median of the ORR. The only portion of land required is 1,600 SQ mt for each of the 13 stations along this stretch,” said a top Metro official.
The Forest department has been insisting that the entire 711 acres of land in Kadugodi, which also includes the 40 acres, belongs to it and has even filed a writ petition in the Karnataka High Court staking claim to it. A court ruling in May 2012 had handed over the land to the Revenue department. The Forest department later appealed against it.
Bengaluru Development Minister K J George told Express, “I plan to hold talks this week between both Revenue and Forest department officials to sort out the ownership issue. This will enable BMRCL to begin the process of land acquisition soon.”
The line will cover the 13 stations of KR Puram (interchange with upcoming Purple Line), Mahadevpura, DRDO Sports Complex, Doddanakundi, ISRO, Marathahalli, Kodibisanahalli, Kadubeesanahalli, Bellandur, Ibbalur, Agara Lake, HSR Layout and Silk Board (interchange with upcoming RV Road - Bommasandra line).
The project, for which BMRCL made the Detailed Project Report public recently, has a deadline of 2020.
So what is the likely outcome if the land dispute prolongs? “We do not foresee any major problem since both are government departments and some kind of agreement can be reached,” the official said. However, in case there is no resolution in sight soon, BMRCL will look at procuring alternative land for the depot, he added.