BENGALURU: Although never meant to be a part of the Phase 2 Metro extension plan, residents of West Bengaluru’s Challaghatta are lucky to get a seat on the Metro wagon. Due to land issues near the Kengeri Satellite Bus Stand, a depot for trains will be built near Challaghatta.
A senior Metro official told , “When we readied the Detailed Project Report (DPR) in September 2011, we planned the depot near the Kengeri Satellite bus stand. However, while assessing the area much later, we found out that the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) had acquired the land to install a Sewage Treatment Plant.”
Metro officials had to get back to the drawing board and work out an alternative. “We got to know that nearly 40 acres of land was available near Challaghatta. We acquired it and readied a revised DPR by mid-2014,” the official said.
Chief Engineer, Depots (Phase-2), BMRCL, BL Yeshwanth Chavan, said, “Tenders have been called and work is on to complete the Challaghatta station first. It will be ready by March 2022 and operations can begin there after that.” The depot is set to become multi-modal and will involve National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), BDA and other agencies.
A good chunk of BDA’s Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout is in the vicinity of the Challaghatta Metro station, which is 1.5 km away from the present terminus of Kengeri Metro station.