BENGALURU: To enhance safety of passengers, Namma Metro has put in place a new rail track patrolling team.The decision was taken during a meeting between the Director, Rolling Stock Exchange and the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) Managing Director on August 26. The patrolling team’s role would be same as gangmen on railway tracks. An in-house circular issued by BMRCL on August 28, said, track patrolling needs to be done on a daily and weekly basis by a 16-member all-male team right away. The 18.1km Baiyappanahalli to Mysore Road Purple Line would be monitored initially.
The staff have been designated as patrol men or maintainers. A beat of approximately 4km is being allotted for patrol men. It would be carried out during non-train hours (11pm to 5am) along the line.
“The violation of the above will attract disciplinary action,” the circular added. Metro Managing Director Pradeep Singh Kharola said, “Safety and security of passengers is paramount. Hence we have put in place this night patrolling activity.”
Workers union demands clarity
The Bangalore Metro Rail Employees Union Vice President Suryanarayana Murthy said BMRCL needs to specify the details. “This will be a full night shift job. It must be made clear as to how many days each employee has to work on the night shift,” Murthy said.
It needs be rotated among three shifts. “There are enough staff in the Operations and Maintenance department and the all-male staff have to be rotated to perform this night shift not just the 16 people specified. How can they pick these 16 alone for regular night duty?”
Murthy said track patrolling had been done earlier but on a random basis in twos and threes by different departments. “This is the first time staff are specifically earmarked for this role.”
Report on phase 2 out
The social assessment report released by BMRCL recently for the 21.25 km Nagawara-Gottigere line of Phase-II says that the line would cost `2,310 crore. About 2,70,112 square metres of land would be required. “As per the preliminary estimation, a total of 698 private structures would be affected. As many as 642 people occupying these private properties are title holders and 56 are non-title holders,” the report said. About 3,890 people may be displaced. The affected people would be compensated adequately. The figures mentioned are not final as the report has been prepared with the original location of Cantonment station in mind. The location has now been shifted to a playground near Bamboo Bazaar.
Stretches to be monitored
Baiyappanahalli to Indira Nagar
Indira Nagar to Trinity Circle
Trinity Circle to Cubbon Park
Cubbon Park to Visveswaraiah
Visweswaraiah to KSR Railway station
KSR station to Hosahalli
Hosahalli to Atiguppe
Atiguppe to Mysore Road
DPR of Phase 3 being readied
Even as work on Metro’s 72.1-km Phase-II project is proceeding, BMRCL has already begun the process of readying the Detailed Project Report of Phase-III. A top state government official told Express, “We have asked BMRCL to start readying the DPR.” Kharola said, “We have begun work on it. All I can say is that the three phases will totally cover a distance of around 250km.”