BENGALURU: Bearing in mind the huge costs involved in building an elevated depot at Challaghatta, the State government has decided to construct it at the ground level. A high-powered committee, chaired by the Chief Secretary, with representatives of all transport bodies, took a unanimous decision on the issue on Wednesday. The preparation of at-grade designs will start immediately.
The depot in West Bengaluru is of crucial importance as all trains of the Baiyappanahalli-Kengeri Line (that would be later extended till Challaghatta) will be stabled and maintained here when ready. Top officials of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited, Directorate of Urban Land Transport, Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation and Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation took part in the meeting.
Sources familiar with the matter said that options of building the elevated depot had been discussed for some time. "Today, we have unanimously decided to build it at the ground level. The clinching aspect was the cost factor as we will now have to spend only around Rs 500 crore for the depot, while an elevated depot would have cost us nearly Rs 900 crore," he explained. The savings of Rs 400 crore is huge, said another source.
The initial plan was to have KSRTC and BMTC depots on the floor below the elevated depot. “An elevated construction will mean there are many piers below. It will be difficult for buses to manoeuvre their way through many pillars. Moreover, both corporations have their depots at Kengeri, which is nearby,” a source said. Multi-storeyed buildings will come up here.
Asked about land acquisition, MS Channappa Goudar, General Manager, Land Acquisition Cell, BMRCL, said that 47 acres have already been acquired for the depot, and compensation paid. The BDA road from Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout will go underground.
BDA had planned to build the road from the layout to the upcoming Challaghatta station to ensure Metro connectivity for residents here. "The road that BDA plans to construct to the depot will now have to go underground and will run below a railway line and the upcoming depot," the source added.