BENGALURU: Even as Bengaluru Metro’s Rs 15,611-crore Phase-3 project got the green signal from the Centre on Friday, it encountered a hurdle recently. Since the state had already given its nod to the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd to begin the process of land acquisition, the ball has been set rolling on that front. The PES University has now strongly objected to the presence of the Hosakerehalli Metro station right at the entrance of its Outer Ring Road campus.
The Pro-Chancellor of the university has written to BMRCL as well as Minister of State for Railways V Somanna this month to relocate the proposed station.
TNIE has a copy of the letter Pro-Chancellor Prof Jawahar Doreswamy wrote to Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) Managing Director Maheshwar Rao on the issue on August 1.
Sources said BMRCL requires 720 sqm of land belonging to PES University for an entry of the Hosakerehalli station. Phase-3 will have two elevated corridors - one running to 32.15 km on the Outer Ring Road and another of 12.5 km on Magadi Road. Hosakerahalli station figures on the ORR Corridor and is positioned between Dwaraka Nagar and Kamakya Junction stations.
Prof Doreswamy told TNIE, “Nearly 15,000 students enter the campus from this side. We have asked BMRCL to shift their station to the vacant government land nearby which remains unutilised for decades. They do not have to pay any compensation too in that case. We are asking them to shift the station 50 metres to the left. Or they can move it to the right by 100 metres. The present location proposed by them would lead to permanent closure of the main gate of the university and increase traffic congestion on the ORR causing a bottleneck in peak hours.”
He also added that university had already contributed 1.5 acres to BDA years ago for the Ring Road. “We have still not get any compensation for it.”
The letter explained that there were two flyovers — Girinagar and Veerabadranagar — in close proximity to the campus and within 20 metres from the proposed Metro station. “This will lead to overcrowding and add to the traffic congestion,” it pointed out.
A source told TNIE, “It is just too late to change anything. The whole alignment has been finalised. Making any change will mean taking clearance again from the state and all agencies again. It will delay the project.”