BANGALORE: Shoppers visiting Mantri Mall will now be able to walk directly from the Sampige Road Metro station to the mall’s first floor. A bridge connecting the two was inaugurated on Wednesday.
According to Mantri Developers, this is the first such bridge in the country.
It was jointly developed by the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) and Mantri Developers, who had also collaborated in the construction of the Metro station inaugurated in March.
The developers hope the bridge will help reduce traffic in the area, especially during weekends. BMRCL MD Pradeep Singh Kharola described the bridge as a great sign of growth in the city.
“With Bangalore’s rapidly growing population, we have taken up the challenge and stepped in to help meet transport requirements. Such projects will encourage people to utilise these services,” he said.
Sushil Mantri, Chairman of Mantri Developers, expressed pride in being the only player in the Indian retail space offering direct access to a Metro station.
Sampige Road Metro station falls under Namma Metro Reach 3 and 3A, which covers 10 stations from Peenya to Sampige Road.
‘Development is a Two-way Street’
BMRCL chief Pradeep Singh Kharola told Express that the corporation is looking at developing other stations in Phase II of its PPP project. He expressed confidence that private companies will evince interest in such projects as they stand to benefit as well. Mayor B S Satyanarayana, who was the chief guest at the function, asked Mantri Developers to assist in the maintenance of lakes in the city. He also asked BMRCL to consider constructing a bridge connecting K R Market and the Metro station once the market is remodelled.