BENGALURU: Despite all the planning and effort that went into readying the new Green Line stretch between Yelachenahalli and Mantri Square Sampige Road, the final one hour before the launch of the first train from Yelachenahalli on Sunday caused tension to everyone in Metro. For the key to the second entry was misplaced and could not be found, thereby allowing public access only to one entrance.
It did appear odd that while the queue kept growing outside one entry on Kanakapura Road (towards Banashankari) where Metro staff and security personnel were on duty, there was no activity on the other end. With the gates opening just 10 minutes before departure and the four counters unable to issue tokens to all who were attempting to travel by the first train, many were still in the queues outside the counters when the maiden train departed from the station.
When this reporter asked a cop posted there why the second entry located across the road remained shut, he said, “There was a fear that the crowd would become unmanageable. So, a decision was taken to open only one entry.”However, according to top sources, “A Metro employee, (middle level management) had misplaced the keys of the rolling shutter of one entry. We got to know about it very late. He frantically searched for it but could not find it.”
The entrance did have a second set of keys though. They were with the Operations Control Centre at Baiyappanahalli. “The contractor had handed over the keys of all the 42 stations as one big bunch with the keys neither numbered nor named. Before we try each of the keys on the locks and find the right fit, it would take a long time,” a source said. Hence, public were permitted entry only through one entrance. Finally, at 8.30 pm, the shutter lock was broken and this entry opened for the public up to 11 pm.
Delay in fixing baggage scanner
The second entry at Chickpet Metro station too could not be opened as planned on Sunday. A mechanical engineer who was supposed to visit the station to fix the baggage scanner on Sunday morning before the evening launch did not turn up. The new baggage scanners at all the other 11 stations were fixed by engineers. “The scanner at Chickpet was fixed on Monday morning and the entry opened,” an official said.