BENGALURU: Demolition work for Metro stations of the Underground Corridor of Metro’s Phase-II, which could not be carried out for over two months due to the lockdown, is now under way in three of the four stations scheduled.
Over 100 buildings have been demolished to build the Arabic College, Tannery Road and Nagawara Metro stations, said an official. This also includes a 35-flat residential complex at ‘Akshay Residency’ at the junction of Outer Ring Road and Nagawara. This is the first time such a huge apartment has been demolished for any Metro project.
M S Channappa Goudar, General Manager, Land Acquisitions, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), said, “We could not ask people to relocate during the lockdown. Hence, we waited till it was relaxed and till Eid was over.” A total of 2,662 properties have been acquired for the Nagawara-Gottigere line (Reach-6) and a compensation of Rs 2,016 crore has been paid to the land losers, he said.
Another official said the demolition is almost completed at Tannery Road. “Barring three properties where tenants or owners have gone outside the state, we have demolished everything. It includes many tannery units which had been here for decades,” he said.
Work is on at a brisk pace for the Nagawara Metro station. “The demolition of a massive apartment is almost completed here and demolition of other properties is on at a brisk pace,” he added. The process of acquiring properties is underway at Arabic College, the official said.
The only problem is acquiring land for Venkateshwara station. “We had acquired two acres of land from the BDA and paid them compensation amount too. However, another person claiming ownership of the property has taken BDA to the court and this has prevented us from going ahead with the demolition,” he added.