BENGALURU: The heavy rains that lashed Bengaluru in the last fortnight have ensured a further delay in the completion of a crucial piece of infrastructure work: the access road leading to the swanky Sir M Visvesvaraya Terminal at Baiyappanahalli. Work has begun at a slow pace after a complete stoppage during the last two weeks.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw during his visit to this airport-like facility in September this year stated that the terminal would be declared open only after the connectivity glitches are fixed. When TNIE visited the spot on Wednesday, November 24, 2021, work on the stretch bang in front of the station, the Baiyappanahalli Main Road was going on at a sluggish pace. The 500 m stretch from the Mukunda Theatre to the Railway Protection Force (RPF) post here was waterlogged for a few days and work came to a standstill.
Chief Engineer, Roads and Infrastructure, BBMP, B S Prahlad, said that work had stopped on October 25 and had begun only this Monday (Nov 21). “It has restarted this week and we will proceed at a brisk pace from next week. We will complete asphalting of the roads by mid-December,” he said.
Darshan, Civil Engineer, attached to the contractor PJB, was supervising the ongoing work. “We had to first clear all the water that had logged in here. The earthmovers cannot be operated when it is wet. The footpath too needs to be laid here. We hope to finish the road by December or January,” he said.
Asked about the delay, Divisional Railway Manager Shyam Singh said he had spoken to the BBMP Chief Commissioner about it a day ago. “BBMP has told us they can complete the access road in a week’s time provided the weather stays dry during the period,” he said.
A walk through the fabulous terminal revealed that the Mechanical Service Building and the RPF office beneath it are yet to be completed. The problem pertaining to rainwater leaking through the glass in the station master building which had the control panel has been completely redressed.
The terminal was to be launched in June 2019 but numerous issues delayed it. A flaw in the engineering design plan forced a complete reworking of the project, COVID induced labour shortage, a prolonged wait for the PMO to give dates to launch it. Now it is the rain-induced delay in road completion.