BENGALURU: With almost all structural work complete and up to 40 per cent of finishing over, Challaghatta Metro Station is abuzz with activity 24x7. This will be smallest of all Metro stations of Phase-I and Phase-II, and was a belated addition to the Baiyappahalli-Kengeri Line. The station will be ready by August, and be opened by the year-end.
This elevated station, built at a cost of around Rs 33 crore, is 1.5 km from Kengeri Station, the present terminal of the Purple Line. Assistant Engineer of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) M Rajesh, who took the TNIE team for a walkthrough, said, “Challaghatta station, which has a total of ten piers (pillars), has a ground floor ticketing area and a first floor with two platforms for trains to operate. Unlike other Metro stations, it does not have a concourse. The length of platform is 135 metres, the same as in all stations. But the distance when one steps out of the coach to the stairs is just 65 metres, only half of that found in other stations.” The station has only two flights of stairs, two lifts and an equal number of escalators.
Suma Limited is carrying out civil works, while M R Constructions is in charge of finishing works.
Asked why it ended up as the smallest station, Rajesh said that only an average of 500 to 600 commuters are expected to use it on a daily basis. “Students of RR Medical College, Dental College, a nearby Ayurveda Hospital, future residents of Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout and those at Doddabele will mainly benefit from it,” he said.
The contract for Challaghatta depot, located adjacent to it, was awarded last month. Deputy Chief Engineer, BMRCL, Prakash Hegde said the contract is in an advanced stage. “The Letter of Agreement is likely to be handed over this month. It will take 2.5 years after that for the depot to be completed.” BMRCL Managing Director Anjum Parwez said Challaghatta station would be in place by August, and they were looking at inspection by the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety by September.
THEFT OF MATERIAL COMMON AT SITE
The remotely located Challaghatta station is encountering an unusual problem: frequent theft of steel and iron rods used for different works across the station. “We require small bits of steel rods to ready the scaffolding structure as per need. The rods brought to make it ready are frequently carried away by unknown people. The contractor is forced to bring more to compensate for the loss,” he said. The iron rods used for various other construction purposes, too, are stolen. No police case has been filed.