BENGALURU: Residents of New Bamboo Bazaar and nearby areas held a protest against shifting of Cantonment Metro Station to the BBMP playground on Sunday.
The ‘Madina-Maidan Bachao’ protest was held at 4 pm when about 50 people gathered at the grounds with placards. A release issued after the protest stated, “The ground is not only used by senior citizens but also by children who play here. Snatching away our ground on flimsy reasons by BMRCL will not only deprive us of the only space we have, but also cause traffic jams during construction.”
The release adds that as per the earlier plan, there were three Metro stations within a 1km radius — at Pottery Town, Cantonment and Shivajinagar, and hence the residents didn’t need another station at the playground. They had instead asked for BMTC feeder service and improvement of roads. The release termed BMRCL’s reasons for the move as impractical and flimsy.
The decision to build a station at the ground has met with widespread opposition not just by local residents, but also by other citizens who say the station will not be integrated with the Cantonment Railway Station.
BMRCL officials, on their part, have repeatedly maintained that the distance that passengers will have to traverse between the two stations is only 200 metres. They will also make a presentation for local residents.